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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bore — to drill
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. track — to keep track
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. toast — bread
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. face — to confront
  9. content — happy
  10. swing — to play on
  11. firm — steady
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wind — moving air
  14. track — a song
  15. content — the amount
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. face — part of the head
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. track — a path
  23. bore — to tire
  24. firm — a company

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