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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — a company
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. capital — money
  6. charge — in control
  7. bat — the animal
  8. charge — a price
  9. firm — decided
  10. bear — the animal
  11. swing — to play on
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cap — a lid
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cap — a hat
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. swing — music
  19. cap — of ice
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. capital — a city
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. straw — dry grass

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