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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. firm — a company
  3. content — the amount
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. content — happy
  7. firm — decided
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. hand — help
  14. firm — steady
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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