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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bat — the animal
  6. snap — to click
  7. file — a document
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — a company
  12. file — a line of people
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. file — a tool
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. land — to come down
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. land — a country
  21. capital — money
  22. land — ground
  23. capital — a city
  24. bore — to tire

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