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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. content — happy
  3. rest — a break
  4. wind — moving air
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wind — moving air
  9. content — the amount
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rest — what's left
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. root — of a word
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. rest — what's left
  20. root — the cause
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. root — of a plant
  24. net — in sport

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