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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. game — wild animals
  3. firm — decided
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bass — the fish
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. season — of the year
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. game — a match
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. season — in sport
  16. content — happy
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stem — to come from
  20. content — the amount
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. firm — steady

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