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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mug — a face
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. can — a tin
  10. drill — army training
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. can — to be able to
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. scale — in music
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. can — a tin
  23. drill — a practice
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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