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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 124 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. land — a country
  6. bass — the fish
  7. firm — a company
  8. squash — to crush
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. content — happy
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. content — the amount
  17. kid — to tease
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. firm — steady
  24. kid — child

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