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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bear — the animal
  3. firm — decided
  4. cell — in biology
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. firm — a company
  12. spell — letters
  13. firm — steady
  14. cell — a phone
  15. content — happy
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. fall — the season
  20. spell — magic
  21. fall — to drop
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. bear — to put up with

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