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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. mine — for digging
  3. firm — decided
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. fine — all right
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. staff — employees
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. staff — a stick
  14. fine — high quality
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bat — the animal
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. firm — steady
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. staff — employees
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. shower — rain

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