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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. ground — a position
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. spell — magic
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. ground — crushed
  10. squash — the sport
  11. spell — letters
  12. fine — all right
  13. content — happy
  14. fine — high quality
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. band — a ring
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. band — a music group
  19. content — the amount
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. ground — the earth

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