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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. chip — to eat
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chip — for betting
  9. shower — rain
  10. firm — decided
  11. content — the amount
  12. craft — a skill
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. firm — a company
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. degree — an amount
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — boats
  22. shower — to wash
  23. degree — temperature
  24. content — happy

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