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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. track — a path
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. firm — steady
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. track — a song
  11. lean — thin
  12. content — happy
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. content — the amount
  15. firm — decided
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bark — to shout
  24. track — to keep track

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