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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cap — a lid
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rush — hurry
  10. content — happy
  11. cap — a hat
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spell — magic
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mouse — the animal

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