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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. spring — a coil
  4. march — the month
  5. firm — steady
  6. court — for sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pitch — completely
  9. spring — the season
  10. march — the month
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spring — of water
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. firm — a company
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rest — a break
  18. court — of law
  19. perch — the fish
  20. court — of a king
  21. march — music
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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