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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. key — the most important part
  3. hand — help
  4. firm — a company
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. craft — boats
  7. file — a tool
  8. land — ground
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. file — a document
  12. firm — decided
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. key — in music
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cell — in biology
  18. hand — in cards
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. land — to come down
  22. key — for a lock
  23. cell — a phone
  24. land — a country

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