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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. dip — to sink
  3. last — to go on
  4. content — the amount
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. content — happy
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. stock — goods
  15. lean — thin
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. charge — in control
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. lean — to bend
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stock — shares
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. date — the fruit
  24. last — finally

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