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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. He is an ace ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — steady
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. ground — a position
  7. bound — certain
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. firm — a company
  13. bound — tied together
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ground — crushed
  22. degree — from a university
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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