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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mug — a cup
  3. capital — a city
  4. content — happy
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pop — to visit
  9. staff — employees
  10. can — a tin
  11. mug — a face
  12. fine — high quality
  13. can — a tin
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. fine — all right
  16. mug — to rob
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pop — music
  20. staff — employees
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. capital — money
  23. content — the amount
  24. staff — a stick

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