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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. pit — in a race
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. lean — thin
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wake — a trail
  24. content — the amount

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