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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · firm · key · land · ground · straw · lie · rock

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. ground — the earth
  4. land — a country
  5. march — the month
  6. rock — a stone
  7. key — the most important part
  8. firm — steady
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rock — music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. land — to come down
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. ground — a position
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. firm — a company
  20. ground — crushed
  21. key — for a lock
  22. land — ground
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. firm — decided

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