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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. firm — decided
  5. ground — the earth
  6. content — happy
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. ground — a position
  10. content — the amount
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. land — to come down
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cell — a phone
  15. firm — a company
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. firm — steady
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cell — in biology
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. ball — a round shape

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