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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 120 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. face — to confront
  3. firm — decided
  4. swing — to play on
  5. row — to paddle
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bore — to drill
  9. swing — music
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. firm — a company
  12. sharp — clever
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. swing — in golf
  16. face — to point toward
  17. board — a committee
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bat — the animal
  20. board — to get on
  21. row — a line
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bore — to tire

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