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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fall — the season
  6. face — part of the head
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. firm — a company
  10. chest — of your body
  11. face — to point toward
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. chest — a box
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. kick — in football
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. chest — of your body
  20. firm — decided
  21. face — to confront
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cell — a phone
  24. fall — to drop

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