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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wound — an injury
  5. kick — in football
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wound — an injury
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. face — to confront
  13. pit — a hole
  14. march — music
  15. face — to point toward
  16. march — the month
  17. pit — in a race
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. prune — to trim
  20. firm — a company
  21. march — the month
  22. firm — decided
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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