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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. content — happy
  6. can — a tin
  7. scale — size or range
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. can — to be able to
  11. band — a ring
  12. can — a tin
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. root — of a word
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. root — of a plant
  18. scale — in music
  19. root — the cause
  20. band — a music group
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rush — a thrill

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