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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 116 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. row — a line
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. firm — decided
  5. net — for catching
  6. lean — thin
  7. pop — to visit
  8. row — to paddle
  9. saw — the tool
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. net — in sport
  13. content — the amount
  14. lean — to bend
  15. firm — steady
  16. pop — soda
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. deal — to handle
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pop — music
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. saw — the tool
  23. net — after costs
  24. firm — a company

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