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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. rush — a thrill
  2. firm — a company
  3. hand — help
  4. drill — army training
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. firm — steady
  7. land — ground
  8. staff — employees
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — hurry
  11. present — there
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. hand — in cards
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. firm — decided
  17. drill — a practice
  18. staff — a stick
  19. drill — the tool
  20. land — to come down
  21. staff — employees
  22. land — a country
  23. content — the amount
  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