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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. roll — a cake
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. squash — the sport
  8. object — to protest
  9. pit — a hole
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. object — an aim
  15. roll — a list
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pit — in a race
  18. object — a thing
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. rest — what's left
  21. content — happy
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. wax — for sculpting

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