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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. deal — to handle
  3. rock — music
  4. land — ground
  5. ground — crushed
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. firm — steady
  8. land — to come down
  9. firm — decided
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wind — moving air
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. wind — moving air
  17. content — happy
  18. ground — a position
  19. rock — a stone
  20. firm — a company
  21. land — a country
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. content — the amount

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