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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mate — a partner
  5. present — there
  6. spell — magic
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. mate — a friend
  10. net — after costs
  11. spell — a short time
  12. present — the time now
  13. net — for catching
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. present — a gift
  16. net — in sport
  17. spell — letters
  18. tear — from crying
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mark — a trace
  24. content — videos and posts

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