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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. ground — crushed
  3. roll — a list
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. chest — of your body
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. ground — the earth
  14. content — happy
  15. roll — a cake
  16. dip — to sink
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. content — the amount
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ground — a position
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chest — a box

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