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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. last — finally
  3. tear — from crying
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. content — happy
  7. last — final
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pitch — completely
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. staff — a stick
  13. squash — to crush
  14. staff — employees
  15. squash — the sport
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. staff — employees
  18. tear — from crying
  19. last — to go on
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. tear — to rip
  24. trunk — of a car

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