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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. file — a document
  3. pop — to visit
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pop — soda
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. firm — decided
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cue — a hint
  13. march — the month
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. shower — rain
  16. file — a tool
  17. pop — music
  18. shower — to wash
  19. file — a line of people
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. firm — a company

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