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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. capital — money
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wind — moving air
  5. toast — bread
  6. net — for catching
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. net — after costs
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. tube — a container
  13. content — happy
  14. capital — a city
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. net — in sport
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wind — moving air

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