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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lean — thin
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ball — a great time
  6. firm — steady
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. net — after costs
  12. firm — a company
  13. chest — of your body
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. net — for catching
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. chest — a box
  19. net — in sport
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lean — to bend
  24. firm — decided

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