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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cold — an illness
  3. saw — the tool
  4. content — the amount
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. roll — a list
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cold — not warm
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. content — happy
  19. can — a tin
  20. scale — in music
  21. can — a tin
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. scale — size or range
  24. roll — a cake

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