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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. content — the amount
  15. charge — in control
  16. ball — a dance
  17. last — finally
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. last — final
  21. charge — a price
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. charge — electricity
  24. stem — of a plant

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