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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. fork — in a road
  3. firm — decided
  4. tube — a container
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. season — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. season — of the year
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. content — happy
  12. firm — a company
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. net — in sport
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. content — the amount
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. firm — steady
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. net — after costs

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