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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. content — happy
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. content — the amount
  7. saw — the tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. saw — the tool
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. fall — the season
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. content — videos and posts

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