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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 120 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. firm — decided
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stand — to bear
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pop — music
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pop — soda
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. spell — letters

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