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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. object — an aim
  3. tear — from crying
  4. net — for catching
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — a company
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. race — humankind
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. hand — in cards
  11. object — a thing
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. firm — decided
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. race — the arms race
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. race — a contest
  19. chair — a leader
  20. date — the fruit
  21. tear — to rip
  22. hand — help
  23. tear — from crying
  24. object — to protest

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