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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — to fit
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. firm — a company
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fall — to drop
  10. firm — decided
  11. suit — in cards
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. capital — money
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fall — to drop
  17. row — a line
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fall — the season
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. row — to paddle
  24. capital — a city

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