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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. content — the amount
  3. spring — a coil
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. spring — of water
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. can — a tin
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. lie — to recline
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. swing — to play on
  22. deal — to handle
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. content — happy

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