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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. root — of a word
  4. swing — music
  5. net — after costs
  6. firm — decided
  7. mug — a face
  8. root — of a plant
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wake — a trail
  13. root — the cause
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. mug — to rob
  17. firm — a company
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. net — in sport
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mug — a cup
  22. net — for catching
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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