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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. charge — electricity
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. capital — a city
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. charge — in control
  9. stand — to bear
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. firm — decided
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. capital — money
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. firm — a company
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. charge — a price
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pitcher — a jug

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