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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. land — a country
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. ground — the earth
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ground — a position
  10. craft — a skill
  11. content — happy
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. game — a match
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. game — wild animals
  18. craft — boats
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. land — to come down
  21. content — the amount
  22. land — ground
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. ground — crushed

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