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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 120 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. chest — a box
  5. scale — in music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wind — moving air
  10. scale — size or range
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — to protest
  13. content — the amount
  14. deal — to handle
  15. present — there
  16. root — of a plant
  17. content — happy
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. object — a thing

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