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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rash — a series
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ground — crushed
  8. content — the amount
  9. pop — soda
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. ground — a position
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rock — music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pop — music
  24. fan — to cool the air

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