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

Word bank: stand · rash · mug · cell · firm · toast · content · snap

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. firm — decided
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. toast — bread
  8. content — the amount
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. firm — steady
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. snap — to click
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rash — a series
  16. stand — to bear
  17. firm — a company
  18. content — happy
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. rash — hasty
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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