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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. content — the amount
  5. craft — a skill
  6. object — an aim
  7. craft — boats
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fine — all right
  13. content — happy
  14. object — a thing
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. deal — to handle
  17. ball — a great time
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. object — to protest
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chest — a box
  22. ball — a dance
  23. chest — of your body
  24. deal — a big deal

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