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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 116 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. scale — in music
  3. spring — the season
  4. content — happy
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. sharp — clever
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. scale — size or range
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. content — the amount
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — to get on
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. spring — of water
  21. tube — the underground
  22. spring — a coil
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. tube — a container

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