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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. spell — letters
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. march — the month
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. march — music
  11. bore — to tire
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. firm — a company
  18. bore — to drill
  19. march — the month
  20. cell — in biology
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spell — magic
  24. firm — decided

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