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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. track — a path
  5. content — happy
  6. firm — a company
  7. squash — to crush
  8. track — a song
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. plane — a tool
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. firm — decided
  17. track — to keep track
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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