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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rash — hasty
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bear — the animal
  10. content — happy
  11. scale — in music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rash — a series
  14. can — to be able to
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. can — a tin
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. can — a tin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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