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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 120 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. spell — a short time
  3. prune — to trim
  4. march — music
  5. ball — a great time
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. ball — a dance
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. firm — decided
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. prune — to trim
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. firm — steady

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