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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. content — happy
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. wax — to grow
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. net — in sport
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. content — the amount
  11. spell — magic
  12. net — for catching
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. spell — letters
  15. capital — a city
  16. net — after costs
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. capital — money
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. spell — a short time
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. roll — a cake
  24. content — videos and posts

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