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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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Word bank
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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. rush — hurry
  4. game — a match
  5. content — the amount
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. scale — in music
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. content — happy
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — high quality
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. scale — size or range
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bowl — to roll
  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