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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bore — to drill
  4. content — the amount
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. firm — steady
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pop — music
  9. hand — help
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. hand — in cards
  14. chest — a box
  15. firm — a company
  16. content — happy
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pop — to visit
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pop — soda
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. chest — of your body

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