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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. ground — a position
  3. mug — to rob
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rock — music
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mug — a face
  8. rock — a stone
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. row — to paddle
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mug — a cup
  14. current — of water
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. season — of the year
  17. content — happy
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. current — happening now
  20. ground — crushed
  21. current — electric
  22. season — in sport
  23. row — a line
  24. season — to add flavour

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