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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bank — of a river
  3. roll — a list
  4. fall — to drop
  5. squash — to crush
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bank — for money
  10. fall — the season
  11. pit — in a race
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bank — for money
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pit — a hole
  20. mine — for digging
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. squash — the 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