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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. deal — to handle
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. snap — to click
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pop — music
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bound — certain
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. firm — a company
  16. pop — soda
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. date — the fruit
  21. pop — to visit
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. firm — decided
  24. bound — obliged

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