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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pop — to visit
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. kick — in football
  5. pop — music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — decided
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. content — the amount
  14. deal — to handle
  15. row — a line
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pop — soda
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wound — an injury
  20. content — happy
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. row — to paddle

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