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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spell — a short time
  4. club — for dancing
  5. firm — decided
  6. key — for a lock
  7. spell — magic
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spell — letters
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bass — the fish
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. firm — a company
  19. key — in music
  20. bass — low music
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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