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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. content — happy
  3. spring — a coil
  4. game — a match
  5. firm — decided
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. game — wild animals
  8. chair — a leader
  9. content — the amount
  10. mug — a face
  11. bank — for money
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. firm — a company
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. game — a kind of play

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