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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. firm — steady
  3. staff — a stick
  4. cap — a hat
  5. firm — a company
  6. swing — music
  7. staff — employees
  8. firm — decided
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cap — of ice
  12. band — a music group
  13. squash — the sport
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. swing — in golf
  16. squash — to crush
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. band — a ring
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. staff — employees
  23. pit — a hole
  24. squash — the vegetable

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