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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 120 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bear — the animal
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bear — the animal
  5. present — the time now
  6. net — for catching
  7. spell — magic
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spell — letters
  10. firm — a company
  11. prune — to trim
  12. net — after costs
  13. drill — the tool
  14. content — happy
  15. present — a gift
  16. firm — steady
  17. drill — a practice
  18. present — there
  19. spell — a short time
  20. firm — decided
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. content — the amount
  23. net — in sport
  24. bear — to put up with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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