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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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. bowl — a dish
  4. bound — certain
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. current — of water
  9. root — of a word
  10. cold — not warm
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. root — the cause
  17. current — happening now
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cold — an illness
  21. current — electric
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. deal — a big deal

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