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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — to wash
  4. season — of the year
  5. ground — crushed
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. craft — boats
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. date — the fruit
  15. content — the amount
  16. ground — a position
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. craft — a skill
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. shower — rain
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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