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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. tear — from crying
  3. content — the amount
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rock — a stone
  7. sharp — clever
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — decided
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. kid — child
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. tear — to rip
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rock — music
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. tear — from crying
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. firm — steady
  24. kid — to tease

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