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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. key — for a lock
  3. firm — steady
  4. pop — to visit
  5. ground — a position
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. chest — of your body
  9. key — the most important part
  10. firm — a company
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. spell — magic
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. ground — crushed
  16. chest — a box
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. key — in music
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. spell — letters
  24. ground — the earth

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