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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. firm — steady
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. firm — a company
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. kid — to tease
  9. board — to get on
  10. mark — a trace
  11. kid — child
  12. cue — a hint
  13. deal — to handle
  14. board — a committee
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. firm — decided
  21. content — the amount
  22. mark — a grade
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cue — a signal

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