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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. firm — a company
  3. content — happy
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pop — soda
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. firm — decided
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bear — the animal
  10. game — a match
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. content — the amount
  15. pop — music
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wax — to grow
  23. firm — steady
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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