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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mug — a face
  5. key — for a lock
  6. craft — boats
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pound — a weight
  10. season — in sport
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. key — in music
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. season — of the year
  17. mug — a cup
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mug — to rob
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. content — happy

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