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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. firm — steady
  4. toast — bread
  5. deal — to handle
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. field — for sport
  10. rock — a stone
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rock — music
  13. firm — a company
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. date — the fruit
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — a trail
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. firm — decided
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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