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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. last — to go on
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. row — to paddle
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. content — happy
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. row — a line
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. last — finally
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. cell — a phone
  18. dip — to sink
  19. rock — music
  20. capital — money
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. capital — a city
  23. rush — hurry
  24. last — final

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