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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. tube — the underground
  8. dip — to sink
  9. clip — for paper
  10. roll — a cake
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. clip — a video
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bear — the animal
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. season — in sport

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