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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. charge — a price
  3. content — the amount
  4. drill — a practice
  5. last — final
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. charge — in control
  10. drill — army training
  11. degree — temperature
  12. charge — electricity
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. last — to go on
  16. lean — thin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lean — to bend
  19. content — happy
  20. firm — decided
  21. drill — the tool
  22. last — finally
  23. firm — steady
  24. nail — on a finger

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