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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mate — to breed
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. mate — a partner
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pound — a weight
  20. content — happy
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pit — a hole
  24. content — videos and posts

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