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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. firm — steady
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. firm — a company
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. shower — rain
  17. field — farmland
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. land — to come down
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pass — a permit
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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