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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. net — for catching
  3. firm — decided
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. net — in sport
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cold — not warm
  8. firm — a company
  9. cold — an illness
  10. content — the amount
  11. bass — low music
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. content — happy
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. net — after costs
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. tube — a container
  20. firm — steady
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. chair — a leader

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