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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cue — a hint
  5. land — ground
  6. cue — a signal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. cue — for pool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. firm — decided
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. land — to come down
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pass — a permit
  22. land — a country
  23. firm — a company
  24. pitch — completely

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