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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. roll — a cake
  4. cell — in biology
  5. prune — to trim
  6. board — a committee
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. firm — decided
  10. kick — in football
  11. cell — a phone
  12. key — the most important part
  13. spell — a short time
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — in music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. board — to get on
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. roll — a list
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. firm — a company

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