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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. firm — a company
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. land — ground
  7. mark — a trace
  8. row — a line
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — happy
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. land — a country
  13. content — the amount
  14. firm — steady
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. firm — decided
  19. land — to come down
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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