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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. present — a gift
  3. key — in music
  4. root — of a word
  5. present — the time now
  6. firm — decided
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. ground — a position
  10. root — of a plant
  11. file — a tool
  12. key — for a lock
  13. march — the month
  14. chip — for betting
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ground — crushed
  17. root — the cause
  18. file — a document
  19. firm — a company
  20. key — the most important part
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. ground — the earth
  24. present — there

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