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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. snap — to click
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. can — a tin
  5. club — for dancing
  6. ground — a position
  7. club — for golf
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cell — a phone
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. firm — decided
  16. cell — in biology
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. content — happy
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. firm — a company
  24. club — a group

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