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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. firm — a company
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mine — for digging
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bass — the fish
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bass — low music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. shower — rain
  20. firm — decided
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. firm — steady
  23. key — in music
  24. cell — a phone

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