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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. spring — of water
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. face — to point toward
  6. fine — all right
  7. content — happy
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bear — the animal
  10. face — part of the head
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. face — to confront
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. fine — high quality
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. spring — the season
  24. bear — to put up with

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