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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 124 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. firm — steady
  2. net — in sport
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. firm — decided
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — government
  7. net — after costs
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. date — the fruit
  12. content — happy
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. ground — crushed
  15. march — music
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. firm — a company
  18. march — the month
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. march — the month
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. net — for catching
  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