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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. content — happy
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mug — a cup
  7. snap — to click
  8. capital — a city
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bass — low music
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mug — a face
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. suit — clothes
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. suit — to fit
  23. capital — money
  24. suit — in cards

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