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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. firm — decided
  11. march — music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. march — the month
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pass — a permit
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. march — the month
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. snap — to click
  24. firm — a company

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