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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. march — the month
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. content — the amount
  5. suit — in cards
  6. march — music
  7. suit — clothes
  8. firm — a company
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. suit — to fit
  15. fall — the season
  16. rash — a series
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. content — happy
  20. firm — decided
  21. march — the month
  22. fall — to drop
  23. squash — to crush
  24. content — videos and posts

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