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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mate — a friend
  4. fall — to drop
  5. content — happy
  6. can — a tin
  7. fine — all right
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wound — an injury
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. fall — the season
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — a cake
  21. wound — an injury
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. content — the amount

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