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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · tear · rest · chest · suit · kick · march · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. chest — of your body
  3. march — the month
  4. chest — of your body
  5. march — the month
  6. firm — a company
  7. suit — clothes
  8. chest — a box
  9. tear — from crying
  10. suit — in cards
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. march — music
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rest — what's left
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. tear — from crying
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rest — what's left
  19. tear — to rip
  20. suit — to fit
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. rest — a break
  23. firm — steady
  24. kick — in football

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