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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. fork — in a road
  3. lean — thin
  4. game — a match
  5. mark — a trace
  6. march — the month
  7. key — the most important part
  8. court — of a king
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. march — music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. march — the month
  17. court — for sport
  18. lean — to bend
  19. firm — a company
  20. mark — a grade
  21. court — of law
  22. game — wild animals
  23. key — in music
  24. firm — steady

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