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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. drill — the tool
  4. tear — from crying
  5. firm — decided
  6. content — the amount
  7. file — a tool
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rash — a series
  11. row — to paddle
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. content — happy
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rash — hasty
  18. row — a line
  19. tear — to rip
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — steady
  24. rash — on the skin

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