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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 116 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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. club — a group
  7. last — final
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. present — a gift
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. hand — in cards
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. present — there
  16. last — to go on
  17. present — the time now
  18. last — finally
  19. content — happy
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mine — for digging
  22. club — for golf
  23. hand — help
  24. deal — to handle

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