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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. root — the cause
  6. present — the time now
  7. content — happy
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. present — there
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. present — a gift
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. root — of a plant
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pass — a permit
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. root — of a word
  24. hand — help

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