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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. firm — decided
  3. saw — the tool
  4. staff — employees
  5. track — a path
  6. staff — a stick
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. firm — a company
  9. content — happy
  10. cell — in biology
  11. degree — from a university
  12. track — a song
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. content — the amount
  16. track — to keep track
  17. degree — temperature
  18. staff — employees
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cell — a phone
  22. saw — the tool
  23. firm — steady
  24. degree — an amount

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