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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. season — in sport
  5. firm — a company
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. firm — decided
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mate — a partner
  12. season — of the year
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mate — to breed
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wax — to grow
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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