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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. prune — to trim
  3. object — a thing
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cue — for pool
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. ground — the earth
  10. can — a tin
  11. cue — a signal
  12. ground — crushed
  13. content — the amount
  14. object — an aim
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. object — to protest
  18. can — a tin
  19. cue — a hint
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. can — to be able to
  23. rash — hasty
  24. ground — a position

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