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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. march — music
  5. firm — decided
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. season — in sport
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mine — for digging
  11. hand — help
  12. season — of the year
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. march — the month
  15. pop — to visit
  16. march — the month
  17. row — a line
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. hand — in cards
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. firm — steady

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