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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cap — a hat
  3. content — happy
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pound — a weight
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. content — the amount
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. root — of a word
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bear — 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