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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. chest — of your body
  3. race — a contest
  4. firm — steady
  5. fine — all right
  6. track — a path
  7. roll — a list
  8. firm — a company
  9. roll — a cake
  10. race — the arms race
  11. track — to keep track
  12. firm — decided
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. race — humankind
  15. content — the amount
  16. chest — of your body
  17. club — a group
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. club — for dancing
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. track — a song
  22. fine — high quality
  23. chest — a box
  24. content — happy

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