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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. net — after costs
  3. firm — steady
  4. net — in sport
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. net — for catching
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. key — in music
  12. firm — a company
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. firm — decided
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. key — for a lock
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ground — crushed
  19. can — a tin
  20. ground — a position
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. key — the most important part
  23. can — a tin
  24. straw — a straw man

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