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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. toast — bread
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. cue — a hint
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. prune — to trim
  8. firm — a company
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. content — happy
  15. firm — steady
  16. scale — in music
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. cue — a signal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. cue — for pool
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. firm — decided

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