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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. ground — crushed
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. row — to paddle
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rash — hasty
  8. field — farmland
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. firm — a company
  11. row — a line
  12. ground — the earth
  13. field — a subject
  14. capital — a city
  15. craft — a skill
  16. capital — money
  17. field — for sport
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. craft — boats
  20. rash — a series
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. ground — a position
  24. firm — steady

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