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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. hand — in cards
  3. staff — employees
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. firm — a company
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rule — government
  8. bass — low music
  9. rule — a law
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. club — a group
  13. hand — help
  14. band — a music group
  15. staff — a stick
  16. club — for golf
  17. band — a ring
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. staff — employees
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. last — to go on
  22. firm — decided
  23. club — for dancing
  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