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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. tear — from crying
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rash — a series
  9. rush — hurry
  10. fine — all right
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. craft — a skill
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. craft — boats
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — happy
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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