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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. branch — a division
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. cue — for pool
  16. degree — from a university
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — a company
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cue — a hint
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cue — a signal
  24. degree — an amount

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