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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. cap — a lid
  3. season — of the year
  4. firm — a company
  5. season — in sport
  6. bank — for money
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. tear — to rip
  9. file — a tool
  10. rash — hasty
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. firm — decided
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. game — wild animals
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bank — for money
  20. rash — a series
  21. game — a match
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. file — a document

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