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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. cold — not warm
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. pitch — completely
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. current — of water
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. firm — a company
  10. current — electric
  11. ball — a great time
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cold — an illness
  19. firm — decided
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. wound — an injury
  24. current — happening now

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