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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 120 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 · suit · bay · chair · nail · cold · fork · stand

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. ground — a position
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. fork — in a road
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stand — to bear
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. suit — clothes
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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