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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitch — completely
  3. content — happy
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. content — the amount
  9. can — a tin
  10. firm — a company
  11. game — a match
  12. firm — steady
  13. can — a tin
  14. game — wild animals
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. drill — a practice
  18. firm — decided
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wake — a trail
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. drill — army training
  24. cabinet — ministers

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