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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bear — the animal
  4. charge — in control
  5. bear — the animal
  6. content — happy
  7. key — the most important part
  8. degree — temperature
  9. spring — the season
  10. present — the time now
  11. tube — a container
  12. content — the amount
  13. degree — an amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. charge — electricity
  16. spring — of water
  17. degree — from a university
  18. key — in music
  19. charge — a price
  20. present — a gift
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. key — for a lock
  24. spring — a coil

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