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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 116 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. land — ground
  7. pop — to visit
  8. last — to go on
  9. band — a ring
  10. pop — music
  11. last — finally
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pop — soda
  16. last — final
  17. firm — decided
  18. present — the time now
  19. band — a music group
  20. land — a country
  21. present — there
  22. firm — a company
  23. present — a gift
  24. land — to come down

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