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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. swing — music
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. rest — a break
  7. degree — an amount
  8. land — a country
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rest — what's left
  11. firm — a company
  12. swing — in golf
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ball — a dance
  16. degree — temperature
  17. hand — help
  18. firm — steady
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. swing — to play on
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. degree — from a university
  23. hand — in cards
  24. ball — a great time

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