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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 120 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. land — a country
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. land — to come down
  6. spring — of water
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. key — the most important part
  9. land — ground
  10. spring — the season
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. firm — decided
  13. key — for a lock
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. spring — a coil
  19. key — in music
  20. firm — steady
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bass — low music
  23. chair — a leader
  24. trunk — of a tree

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