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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. ground — crushed
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. roll — a cake
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. content — the amount
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. content — happy
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. field — for sport
  16. ground — the earth
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. chair — a leader
  22. ground — a position
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. roll — a list

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