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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. spring — of water
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wound — an injury
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — happy
  11. cell — in biology
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. firm — a company
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spring — the season
  18. cell — a phone
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. content — the amount
  22. kick — in football
  23. spring — a coil
  24. firm — steady

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