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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. content — the amount
  4. firm — a company
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. fork — in a road
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. firm — decided
  9. content — happy
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. chest — of your body
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. chest — a box
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. scale — in music
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. scale — size or range
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stand — to bear
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. content — videos and posts

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