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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rash — hasty
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. content — the amount
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rash — a series
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. fall — the season
  21. content — happy
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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