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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rest — what's left
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. can — a tin
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. band — a ring
  8. wind — moving air
  9. shower — rain
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. key — in music
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. rest — what's left
  16. key — the most important part
  17. content — happy
  18. can — to be able to
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. band — a music group
  21. wind — moving air
  22. can — a tin
  23. rest — a break
  24. key — for a lock

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