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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. row — a line
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. key — in music
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. firm — a company
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. firm — decided
  17. key — the most important part
  18. cold — an illness
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cold — not warm
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rock — music

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