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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. firm — a company
  3. key — in music
  4. mug — a cup
  5. field — a subject
  6. firm — decided
  7. mug — a face
  8. chair — a leader
  9. firm — steady
  10. field — farmland
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. field — for sport
  15. bark — to shout
  16. key — for a lock
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mug — to rob
  22. key — the most important part
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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