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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. firm — a company
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. season — in sport
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. fork — in a road
  9. season — of the year
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bat — the animal
  12. swing — to play on
  13. firm — decided
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rush — hurry
  19. swing — music
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bat — in an idiom

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