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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bass — low music
  5. staff — a stick
  6. firm — decided
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — a law
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rash — a series
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bass — the fish
  16. staff — employees
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. firm — a company
  21. rash — hasty
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bat — for baseball

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