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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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. drill — army training
  6. mark — a trace
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. content — happy
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. drill — the tool
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. vault — a safe
  21. root — of a word
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. temple — side of the head

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