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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. suit — to fit
  3. craft — a skill
  4. content — happy
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. suit — clothes
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bear — the animal
  9. suit — in cards
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lean — to bend
  12. scale — in music
  13. clip — to cut
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. clip — a video
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pop — soda
  18. bear — the animal
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lean — thin
  21. craft — boats
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. content — the amount
  24. pop — music

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