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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 124 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bound — certain
  11. prune — to trim
  12. firm — a company
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pop — soda
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cell — a phone
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. firm — decided
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. pop — music

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