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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hand — in cards
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ground — a position
  8. mark — a trace
  9. content — the amount
  10. mate — a friend
  11. spring — of water
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mate — a partner
  14. content — happy
  15. deal — to handle
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. spring — the season
  18. dip — to sink
  19. ground — the earth
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. ground — crushed
  22. hand — help
  23. mate — to breed
  24. spring — a coil

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