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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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. shower — to wash
  4. pit — in a race
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cold — an illness
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. charge — electricity
  13. shower — rain
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. charge — a price
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. dip — to sink
  21. charge — in control
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. safe — out of danger

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