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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: fine · firm · spell · roll · tube · chest · key · ground

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. ground — a position
  3. key — for a lock
  4. tube — a container
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. firm — steady
  8. spell — letters
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. firm — a company
  12. ground — crushed
  13. key — the most important part
  14. tube — the underground
  15. key — in music
  16. spell — magic
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. chest — a box
  20. spell — a short time
  21. firm — decided
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. roll — a list
  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