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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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Word bank
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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 · dip · staff · last · lean · pitcher · content · rash

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. staff — employees
  6. rash — a series
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. staff — a stick
  9. firm — steady
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. content — happy
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. dip — to sink
  15. content — the amount
  16. last — finally
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — decided
  21. rash — hasty
  22. staff — employees
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. last — to go on

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