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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. sharp — clever
  3. firm — steady
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. band — a music group
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mark — a trace
  12. firm — decided
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. firm — a company
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mark — a grade
  24. leaves — to go away

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