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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. firm — steady
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. firm — a company
  7. cell — a phone
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. staff — employees
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pass — a permit
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pop — soda
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pop — to visit
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pop — music
  23. cell — in biology
  24. tube — a container

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