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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. degree — temperature
  3. last — to go on
  4. firm — a company
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mark — a grade
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. tube — a container
  11. craft — a skill
  12. last — final
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. craft — boats
  15. degree — an amount
  16. firm — decided
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mark — a trace
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. chest — a box
  23. last — finally
  24. squash — the sport

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