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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. rash — hasty
  3. file — a document
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. firm — a company
  7. content — happy
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. content — the amount
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. fine — high quality
  12. stem — to come from
  13. file — a tool
  14. firm — decided
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. file — a line of people
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. hand — in cards
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. ball — a dance
  23. hand — help
  24. rash — a series

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