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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. court — of law
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. ground — a position
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. court — of a king
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. firm — a company
  10. sharp — clever
  11. firm — decided
  12. court — for sport
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bass — low music
  21. ground — the earth
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bass — the fish

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