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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pop — music
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — in biology
  6. fall — to drop
  7. content — happy
  8. fall — the season
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. deal — to handle
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pop — soda
  21. sharp — clever
  22. content — the amount
  23. pop — to visit
  24. fall — to drop

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