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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. cap — a hat
  5. lean — to bend
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. lean — thin
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cap — a lid
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stock — goods
  16. cap — of ice
  17. season — in sport
  18. stock — shares
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. hand — in cards
  22. content — happy
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. season — of the year

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