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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bat — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. last — to go on
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. firm — decided
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. stock — shares
  13. prune — to trim
  14. firm — a company
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. last — final
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stock — goods
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. last — finally

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