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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. band — a ring
  7. pitch — completely
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. deal — to handle
  12. band — a music group
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. shower — rain
  21. row — a line
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pitch — a sports field

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