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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. firm — steady
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. key — the most important part
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rest — what's left
  11. row — to paddle
  12. tear — from crying
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. firm — decided
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rest — a break
  17. firm — a company
  18. row — a line
  19. court — of law
  20. stem — to come from
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hand — help
  24. key — in music

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