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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. track — to keep track
  4. swing — music
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. track — a song
  8. hand — help
  9. swing — in golf
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. hand — in cards
  12. toast — bread
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. firm — a company
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. swing — to play on
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. firm — decided
  24. track — a path

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