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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. can — to be able to
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — to bend
  5. can — a tin
  6. spring — the season
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitch — completely
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. spring — of water
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. rush — hurry
  21. can — a tin
  22. ball — a great time
  23. band — a music group
  24. lean — thin

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