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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pit — in a race
  7. net — for catching
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. net — after costs
  10. content — happy
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pitch — completely
  19. firm — a company
  20. game — a match
  21. net — in sport
  22. content — the amount
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. firm — steady

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