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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. last — final
  5. land — to come down
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. pitch — completely
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. game — a match
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. can — a tin
  15. content — the amount
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. last — finally
  18. land — a country
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. content — happy
  21. last — to go on
  22. game — wild animals
  23. land — ground
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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