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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — steady
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mine — for digging
  6. chest — a box
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. ground — a position
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. ground — the earth
  11. land — to come down
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. land — a country
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. land — ground
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spell — magic
  23. firm — a company
  24. bay — a horse colour

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