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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. present — the time now
  3. pop — to visit
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — a company
  6. court — of law
  7. bear — the animal
  8. present — there
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. pop — music
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. present — a gift
  17. pop — soda
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bear — the animal
  21. toast — bread
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. court — of a king
  24. firm — steady

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