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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 120 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. field — a subject
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. firm — steady
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. firm — a company
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. field — for sport
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. field — farmland
  24. tear — from crying

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