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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bank — for money
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. content — the amount
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. content — happy
  12. mark — a trace
  13. firm — steady
  14. bank — of a river
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wake — a trail
  17. plane — a tool
  18. firm — a company
  19. cell — in biology
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rash — a series
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bank — for money
  24. rash — hasty

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