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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. cap — a lid
  3. march — the month
  4. object — to protest
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. object — a thing
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. march — music
  14. kick — in football
  15. fall — the season
  16. cap — of ice
  17. object — an aim
  18. march — the month
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — decided
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cap — a hat
  24. chair — a professorship

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