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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.

Make a worksheet

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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. band — a ring
  6. content — the amount
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. row — a line
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. band — a music group
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. content — happy
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. row — to paddle

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