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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. can — to be able to
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pound — a weight
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cap — a lid
  9. tear — to rip
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. tear — from crying
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cap — a hat
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. content — the amount
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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