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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. content — the amount
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. deal — to handle
  7. ground — a position
  8. cue — a signal
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. branch — a division
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cue — for pool
  14. ground — the earth
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lean — to bend
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. content — happy
  21. ground — crushed
  22. cue — a hint
  23. lean — thin
  24. cold — not warm

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