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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. tear — to rip
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. hand — help
  8. stand — to bear
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. capital — a city
  12. firm — decided
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. tear — from crying
  16. firm — steady
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. capital — money
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. tear — from crying
  23. firm — a company
  24. stand — for spectators

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