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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 116 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. degree — temperature
  4. key — in music
  5. firm — a company
  6. pop — to visit
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wake — a trail
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. firm — decided
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. hand — in cards
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wind — moving air
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pop — soda
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pop — music
  23. staff — employees
  24. wind — to turn a key

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