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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wind — moving air
  7. land — ground
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — a company
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. firm — steady
  16. craft — boats
  17. wind — moving air
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. land — to come down
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. land — a country
  24. key — the most important part

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