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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. content — the amount
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. firm — a company
  5. content — happy
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bat — the animal
  8. firm — steady
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. lean — to bend
  12. firm — decided
  13. tear — to rip
  14. board — a committee
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. lean — thin
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. tear — from crying
  20. board — to get on
  21. tube — a container
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. tear — from crying
  24. content — videos and posts

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