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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. lean — thin
  3. content — happy
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bank — for money
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. rock — a stone
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. clip — to cut
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bank — of a river
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bank — for money
  15. lean — to bend
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. rock — music
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. clip — for paper
  20. vault — a safe
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. chair — a leader
  23. clip — a video
  24. rock — to move gently

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