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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. content — happy
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cue — a hint
  6. last — to go on
  7. cue — a signal
  8. firm — steady
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. firm — decided
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. last — finally
  18. content — the amount
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. firm — a company
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. sharp — clever
  24. last — final

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