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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. firm — a company
  3. content — the amount
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. firm — decided
  8. cell — a phone
  9. rest — a break
  10. can — a tin
  11. rest — what's left
  12. firm — steady
  13. can — a tin
  14. content — happy
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. swing — music
  18. lean — thin
  19. cell — in biology
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. can — to be able to
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lean — to rest against

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