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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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — a company
  3. perch — the fish
  4. spring — the season
  5. firm — decided
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cell — in biology
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. date — the fruit
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fall — the season
  20. mug — a cup
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mug — a face

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