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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. can — a tin
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. content — the amount
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pop — to visit
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. wound — an injury
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pop — music
  15. can — a tin
  16. shower — rain
  17. pop — soda
  18. can — to be able to
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. dip — to sink
  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