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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. can — a tin
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bore — to drill
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. content — happy
  10. land — to come down
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bore — to tire
  13. scale — size or range
  14. land — a country
  15. last — finally
  16. ground — a position
  17. last — to go on
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. land — ground
  21. last — final
  22. scale — in music
  23. content — the amount
  24. ground — the earth

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