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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — decided
  6. content — happy
  7. spring — of water
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — to breed
  10. craft — boats
  11. bass — the fish
  12. spring — a coil
  13. firm — a company
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bass — low music
  16. mate — a friend
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. shower — rain
  21. spring — the season
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — the most important part

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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