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

Word bank: ground · cap · wake · firm · snap · sharp · chair · club

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. firm — decided
  3. club — for golf
  4. cap — a hat
  5. firm — steady
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cap — a lid
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. ground — crushed
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. club — a group
  17. firm — a company
  18. wake — a trail
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. snap — to click
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. club — for dancing

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