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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: ground · chest · race · key · firm · jam · shower · squash

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. race — the arms race
  3. squash — the sport
  4. shower — to wash
  5. chest — a box
  6. ground — the earth
  7. key — in music
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. chest — of your body
  12. squash — to crush
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. key — the most important part
  16. ground — crushed
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. firm — a company
  21. chest — of your body
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. key — for a lock

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