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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. roll — a list
  2. ground — crushed
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. ground — a position
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. content — the amount
  11. ground — the earth
  12. chest — of your body
  13. current — electric
  14. chest — of your body
  15. current — of water
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. current — happening now
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chest — a box
  23. content — happy
  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