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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. rash — on the skin
  3. present — there
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rash — a series
  6. staff — employees
  7. pound — a weight
  8. plane — a tool
  9. mate — a friend
  10. staff — a stick
  11. mate — a partner
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. present — a gift
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mate — to breed
  20. rash — hasty
  21. firm — a company
  22. staff — employees
  23. present — the time now
  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