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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. content — happy
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. spring — the season
  6. suit — to fit
  7. clip — for paper
  8. object — an aim
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. field — farmland
  11. firm — decided
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. content — the amount
  14. clip — a video
  15. spring — of water
  16. firm — steady
  17. suit — clothes
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. clip — to cut
  20. spring — a coil
  21. suit — in cards
  22. object — to protest
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. object — a thing

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