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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · pit · rash · straw · spring · firm · march · cue

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. march — the month
  3. spring — of water
  4. cue — a signal
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. march — the month
  7. rash — a series
  8. pit — in a race
  9. row — a line
  10. march — music
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pit — a hole
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. firm — decided
  18. cue — for pool
  19. firm — a company
  20. cue — a hint
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rash — hasty
  24. row — to paddle

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