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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. key — in music
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. craft — boats
  6. file — a tool
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — of water
  11. stand — to bear
  12. chair — a leader
  13. spring — the season
  14. file — a document
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. file — a line of people
  17. ground — a position
  18. key — the most important part
  19. ground — the earth
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. craft — a skill
  24. key — for a lock

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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