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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. drill — a practice
  5. can — a tin
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. drill — army training
  10. foot — a measure
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. drill — the tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. can — to be able to
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. band — a music group
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. can — a tin
  23. band — a ring
  24. chair — a leader

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