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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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. row — to paddle
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. chip — to eat
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pass — a permit
  17. perch — the fish
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. row — a line
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chip — for betting

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