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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. file — a document
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. perch — the fish
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. prune — to trim
  12. firm — steady
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. file — a tool
  15. deal — to handle
  16. hand — help
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. file — a line of people
  20. prune — to trim
  21. firm — a company
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. prune — the fruit

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