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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. firm — decided
  6. rest — a break
  7. squash — to crush
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mate — a friend
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. squash — the sport
  17. firm — a company
  18. bulb — for light
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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