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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 120 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rash — a series
  3. spring — of water
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. spring — the season
  6. saw — the tool
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. content — the amount
  11. tube — a container
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rash — hasty
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. content — happy
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tube — the underground
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spring — a coil
  23. sharp — clever
  24. leaves — lets stay

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