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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. can — to be able to
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rash — a series
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. swing — to play on
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. can — a tin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. spring — the season
  19. swing — music
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. spring — a coil
  22. can — a tin
  23. content — happy
  24. spring — of water

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