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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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. firm — decided
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. scale — in music
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. firm — a company
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. toast — bread
  18. firm — steady
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fork — in a road
  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