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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: bay · firm · lash · tear · date · board · row · jam

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. row — a line
  3. firm — a company
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. board — to get on
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. tear — from crying
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. firm — decided
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. tear — from crying
  19. board — a committee
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. row — to paddle
  23. tear — to rip
  24. jam — a tight spot

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