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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. club — for golf
  4. current — of water
  5. march — the month
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. march — music
  10. plane — a tool
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. current — happening now
  14. hand — help
  15. current — electric
  16. march — the month
  17. firm — a company
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for dancing
  20. firm — decided
  21. bound — obliged
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bound — certain

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