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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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. foot — a measure
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cold — an illness
  6. fall — to drop
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. band — a ring
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. content — happy
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. can — a tin
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fall — the season
  22. can — a tin
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. band — a music group

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