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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · content · chair · firm · tear · deal

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. deal — to handle
  3. firm — steady
  4. tear — from crying
  5. firm — a company
  6. degree — an amount
  7. content — happy
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. tear — to rip
  10. degree — temperature
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. content — the amount
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. degree — from a university
  18. tear — from crying

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