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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. firm — steady
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rest — what's left
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. firm — a company
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. hand — in cards
  9. shower — rain
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. firm — decided
  12. rest — what's left
  13. field — farmland
  14. shower — to wash
  15. field — a subject
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rest — a break
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. field — for sport
  23. ball — a great time
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com