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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spring — the season
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. ground — a position
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. ground — the earth
  16. firm — steady
  17. ground — crushed
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — a company

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