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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pop — music
  5. content — the amount
  6. bank — for money
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pop — to visit
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bank — of a river
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cap — a hat
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. content — happy
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. chest — a box
  19. pop — soda
  20. bank — for money
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. content — videos and posts

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