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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: firm · chip · swing · saw · content · stick · net · tear

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. swing — in golf
  3. content — the amount
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. net — in sport
  6. tear — to rip
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. firm — a company
  12. swing — music
  13. chip — for betting
  14. saw — the tool
  15. net — after costs
  16. content — happy
  17. firm — steady
  18. swing — to play on
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. chip — to eat
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. firm — decided
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. net — for catching

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