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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — decided
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. firm — a company
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. key — for a lock
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. key — the most important part
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bulb — for light
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. land — to come down
  23. key — in music
  24. bulb — for light

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