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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. content — the amount
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. clip — to cut
  6. field — for sport
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. clip — for paper
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. content — happy
  12. tear — to rip
  13. clip — a video
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. field — a subject
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fine — all right
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. field — farmland
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cue — a hint
  24. fine — high quality

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