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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. game — wild animals
  5. root — the cause
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — the amount
  8. root — of a word
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. mate — to breed
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mate — a partner
  18. content — happy
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — decided
  22. game — a match
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fork — a garden tool

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