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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. present — a gift
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. firm — a company
  6. pop — music
  7. net — after costs
  8. pop — to visit
  9. present — there
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wake — a trail
  12. net — for catching
  13. rush — hurry
  14. firm — steady
  15. net — in sport
  16. present — the time now
  17. spring — the season
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pop — soda
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wake — before a funeral

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