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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. key — in music
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. content — the amount
  6. saw — the tool
  7. content — happy
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. key — the most important part
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. firm — steady
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a city
  21. squash — the sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. key — for a lock
  24. firm — decided

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