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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cap — a lid
  6. content — the amount
  7. key — in music
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cell — in biology
  10. firm — decided
  11. cap — of ice
  12. firm — a company
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. content — happy
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — for a lock

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