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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. content — happy
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mark — a grade
  5. key — the most important part
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. chest — a box
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. key — in music
  12. roll — a list
  13. mark — a trace
  14. content — the amount
  15. roll — a cake
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. roll — on a roll

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