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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. spell — magic
  3. firm — decided
  4. mark — a trace
  5. firm — steady
  6. content — happy
  7. mark — a grade
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. court — of a king
  11. branch — a division
  12. spell — a short time
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. court — for sport
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. content — the amount
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. firm — a company
  20. court — of law
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. spell — letters
  24. branch — of a tree

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