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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. last — finally
  6. firm — decided
  7. snap — to click
  8. drill — a practice
  9. content — happy
  10. last — to go on
  11. firm — steady
  12. last — final
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. drill — army training
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. firm — a company
  23. tear — to rip
  24. drill — the tool

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