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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. tear — from crying
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. dip — to sink
  6. firm — decided
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tear — from crying
  10. row — a line
  11. firm — a company
  12. ball — a great time
  13. court — of law
  14. row — to paddle
  15. court — for sport
  16. lean — to bend
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. court — of a king
  22. ball — a dance
  23. lean — thin
  24. tear — to rip

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