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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — a company
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. saw — the tool
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. saw — the tool
  12. net — after costs
  13. stand — to bear
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. vault — a safe
  16. land — a country
  17. ground — crushed
  18. net — in sport
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. net — for catching
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. firm — decided
  23. ground — the earth
  24. wind — moving air

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