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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 124 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. land — a country
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bank — for money
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. content — happy
  7. firm — steady
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. hand — in cards
  10. firm — a company
  11. land — to come down
  12. roll — a cake
  13. rush — hurry
  14. content — the amount
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. hand — help
  18. bank — for money
  19. shower — rain
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. land — ground
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. firm — decided
  24. bank — of a river

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