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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — a company
  3. key — for a lock
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. field — for sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. key — the most important part
  13. firm — decided
  14. can — a tin
  15. field — farmland
  16. face — to confront
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. key — in 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