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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. row — a line
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. row — to paddle
  11. content — the amount
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. cabinet — ministers

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