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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. firm — steady
  3. season — in sport
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. firm — a company
  8. club — for golf
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — for pool
  12. sharp — clever
  13. content — happy
  14. season — of the year
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cue — a signal
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. chest — of your body
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bark — to shout
  24. firm — decided

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