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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bat — the animal
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pop — soda
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wake — a trail
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pound — a weight
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pop — music
  24. pound — to hit hard

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