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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. shower — rain
  7. face — to confront
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. spring — the season
  10. stand — to bear
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. face — part of the head
  13. spring — a coil
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bear — the animal
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. face — to point toward
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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