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

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. firm — decided
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. content — happy
  5. ground — crushed
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. firm — steady
  10. lean — thin
  11. wax — to grow
  12. firm — a company
  13. date — the fruit
  14. dip — to sink
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. content — the amount
  19. ground — the earth
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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