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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. drill — the tool
  5. firm — decided
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. swing — music
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. race — the arms race
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. deal — to handle
  13. swing — to play on
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. race — a contest
  18. drill — army training
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. swing — in golf
  22. race — humankind
  23. firm — a company
  24. drill — a practice

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