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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 116 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. firm — decided
  3. rest — what's left
  4. content — the amount
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rash — hasty
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — steady
  9. rash — a series
  10. fine — high quality
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cold — an illness
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. fine — all right
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bound — tied together
  21. content — happy
  22. clip — a video
  23. bound — certain
  24. rest — a break

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