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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. field — for sport
  3. firm — a company
  4. stand — to bear
  5. field — a subject
  6. saw — the tool
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. key — the most important part
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. chair — a leader
  11. key — for a lock
  12. field — farmland
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. scale — in music
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. firm — decided
  18. saw — the tool
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. key — in music
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. scale — size or range

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