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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stem — to come from
  5. ball — a great time
  6. squash — to crush
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. rock — music
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — a company
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ball — a dance
  15. last — to go on
  16. squash — the sport
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rock — a stone
  21. last — finally
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. last — final
  24. rash — a series

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