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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pop — to visit
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cap — of ice
  5. game — a match
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pop — music
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mate — a friend
  12. cap — a hat
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cap — a lid
  16. ground — a position
  17. mate — a partner
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mug — a face
  21. ground — the earth
  22. content — happy
  23. pop — soda
  24. mug — to rob

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