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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 120 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. current — of water
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. current — happening now
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. march — music
  13. current — electric
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. spring — the season
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. firm — a company
  23. mate — to breed
  24. firm — decided

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