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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. ground — a position
  3. rock — a stone
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — a cake
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. firm — decided
  9. ground — the earth
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. capital — money
  12. firm — a company
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bear — the animal
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. rock — music
  22. key — in music
  23. firm — steady
  24. capital — a city

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