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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. can — a tin
  4. firm — decided
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. can — a tin
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. band — a ring
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. band — a music group
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. firm — a company
  13. fall — to drop
  14. can — to be able to
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. kick — in football
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pound — a weight
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pound — to hit hard

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