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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 120 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. spell — magic
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. firm — a company
  9. bear — the animal
  10. field — for sport
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. spell — letters
  13. swing — music
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pit — a hole
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. firm — decided
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. field — a subject
  21. wake — a trail
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. field — farmland

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