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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pit — a hole
  4. can — a tin
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. game — a match
  12. content — happy
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. can — a tin
  18. pit — in a race
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cap — of ice
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cap — a lid
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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