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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. firm — steady
  3. last — final
  4. mug — a cup
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. last — finally
  7. kid — child
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. firm — a company
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. tear — from crying
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. firm — decided
  17. date — the fruit
  18. last — to go on
  19. mug — a face
  20. tear — to rip
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mug — to rob
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. kick — in football

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