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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. firm — steady
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. stand — to bear
  6. firm — decided
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rush — hurry
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. perch — the fish
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. kick — in football
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. land — to come down
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. firm — a company
  23. bat — the animal
  24. land — ground

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