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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. firm — steady
  3. fine — all right
  4. craft — boats
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fine — high quality
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. wake — a trail
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. mine — for digging
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — a skill
  18. firm — decided
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. firm — a company
  24. chair — a leader

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