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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. current — happening now
  4. cap — of ice
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cap — a lid
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. firm — steady
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. row — a line
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. cap — a hat
  16. current — of water
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. mine — for digging
  19. ground — crushed
  20. current — electric
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. firm — decided

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