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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. firm — decided
  3. tear — from crying
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. firm — a company
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. tear — to rip
  12. firm — steady
  13. content — the amount
  14. tear — from crying
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pop — music
  17. scale — in music
  18. content — happy
  19. current — happening now
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. dip — to sink
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pop — soda

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