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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stand — to bear
  3. content — the amount
  4. can — a tin
  5. pop — soda
  6. can — a tin
  7. pop — music
  8. capital — a city
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. content — happy
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. can — to be able to
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pop — to visit
  23. capital — money
  24. dip — to sink

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