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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — decided
  4. bound — obliged
  5. face — to confront
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. chair — a leader
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. face — part of the head
  12. branch — a division
  13. bass — low music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bass — the fish
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bound — certain
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. face — to point toward

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