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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. content — happy
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. band — a ring
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. rest — what's left
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rest — a break
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. fine — all right
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fine — high quality
  15. band — a music group
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. squash — to crush
  18. stock — shares
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. content — the amount
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stock — goods
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. squash — the vegetable

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