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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. race — a contest
  3. firm — a company
  4. key — in music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ground — a position
  7. key — the most important part
  8. chair — a leader
  9. race — humankind
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. race — the arms race
  13. net — for catching
  14. ground — crushed
  15. key — for a lock
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — after costs
  18. sharp — clever
  19. perch — the fish
  20. firm — decided
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. net — in sport
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. ground — the earth

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