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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. tear — from crying
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. swing — to play on
  5. charge — a price
  6. present — a gift
  7. firm — steady
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. swing — in golf
  11. present — the time now
  12. charge — in control
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. row — a line
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. swing — music
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. tear — from crying
  19. charge — electricity
  20. present — there
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. firm — a company
  23. rush — hurry
  24. tear — to rip

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