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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. lean — thin
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. court — for sport
  6. lean — to bend
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — steady
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. court — of a king
  13. content — the amount
  14. branch — a division
  15. roll — a list
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bat — the animal
  18. can — a tin
  19. roll — a cake
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. can — a tin
  22. content — happy
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. court — of law

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