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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. firm — steady
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. row — a line
  7. swing — music
  8. mine — for digging
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. key — in music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. ground — a position
  16. firm — a company
  17. rash — hasty
  18. swing — in golf
  19. row — to paddle
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rash — a series
  22. firm — decided
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. key — the most important part

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