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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. firm — decided
  4. saw — the tool
  5. capital — a city
  6. game — wild animals
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wake — a trail
  9. tube — a container
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. capital — money
  12. pop — music
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. game — a match
  17. content — happy
  18. pop — soda
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pop — to visit
  22. firm — steady
  23. content — the amount
  24. saw — the tool

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