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

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — steady
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pass — a permit
  6. firm — decided
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. squash — the sport
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. sharp — clever
  14. last — to go on
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. content — the amount
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. last — final
  20. squash — to crush
  21. content — happy
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. hand — help
  24. last — finally

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