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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. hand — help
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. rock — music
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. content — happy
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. content — the amount
  21. object — a thing
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. fall — to drop
  24. field — farmland

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