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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. land — to come down
  3. pop — to visit
  4. land — ground
  5. key — the most important part
  6. firm — decided
  7. pop — soda
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. firm — steady
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. key — for a lock
  16. land — a country
  17. key — in music
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pop — music

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