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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. content — the amount
  3. wake — a trail
  4. firm — decided
  5. tear — from crying
  6. content — happy
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. swing — in golf
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. march — music
  13. firm — steady
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. march — the month
  21. swing — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. march — the month
  24. tear — from crying

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