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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. firm — a company
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. capital — a city
  6. firm — decided
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. swing — to play on
  10. capital — money
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. swing — music
  14. rule — a law
  15. shower — rain
  16. date — the fruit
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. shower — to wash
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rule — government
  24. trunk — of a car

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