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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. content — happy
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. last — to go on
  6. face — to point toward
  7. mug — a cup
  8. content — the amount
  9. firm — a company
  10. last — final
  11. mug — to rob
  12. firm — steady
  13. mug — a face
  14. cell — in biology
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. face — to confront
  19. cell — a phone
  20. face — part of the head
  21. last — finally
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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