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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. kid — child
  3. mark — a trace
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fall — the season
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. content — happy
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop

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