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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. content — happy
  9. spring — a coil
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. can — a tin
  15. kid — to tease
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. spring — the season
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. content — the amount
  21. mark — a trace
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. kid — child
  24. spring — of water

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