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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. club — for dancing
  5. band — a music group
  6. content — the amount
  7. bound — obliged
  8. club — for golf
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. content — happy
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chip — for betting
  14. club — a group
  15. band — a ring
  16. bound — tied together
  17. firm — decided
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bound — certain
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. firm — a company
  23. chip — to eat
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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