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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. spring — the season
  3. firm — steady
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. spell — magic
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. spring — of water
  11. court — of law
  12. chest — a box
  13. court — for sport
  14. spell — letters
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spring — a coil
  17. court — of a king
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. firm — decided
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spell — a short time
  22. swing — in golf
  23. toast — bread
  24. sharp — clever

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