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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mine — for digging
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wax — to grow
  6. content — the amount
  7. firm — steady
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. sharp — clever
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. firm — a company
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. content — happy
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wax — for sculpting

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