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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spell — magic
  4. can — to be able to
  5. track — a path
  6. content — the amount
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. chest — a box
  10. can — a tin
  11. content — happy
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. track — to keep track
  15. chest — of your body
  16. can — a tin
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. track — a song
  23. chest — of your body
  24. lean — to bend

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