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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. content — happy
  4. present — the time now
  5. can — a tin
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cap — a hat
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. saw — the tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — in control
  20. cap — a lid
  21. present — a gift
  22. prune — to trim
  23. content — the amount
  24. saw — the tool

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