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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. swing — music
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. track — a path
  5. swing — to play on
  6. content — the amount
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — decided
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. track — to keep track
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. swing — in golf
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stand — to bear
  15. firm — a company
  16. track — a song
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. shower — rain
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mine — for digging
  22. shower — to wash
  23. content — happy
  24. row — a line

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