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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. chip — for betting
  3. firm — decided
  4. content — happy
  5. date — the fruit
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. club — for golf
  9. row — to paddle
  10. root — of a word
  11. chip — to eat
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. row — a line
  14. content — the amount
  15. branch — a division
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. club — a group
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. firm — a company
  24. club — for dancing

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