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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. content — the amount
  2. spring — a coil
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. present — there
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. present — the time now
  7. spring — the season
  8. deal — to handle
  9. cap — a hat
  10. content — happy
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. present — a gift
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. stock — shares
  16. cap — of ice
  17. spring — of water
  18. bat — the animal
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. stock — goods
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cap — a lid
  23. stock — a soup base
  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