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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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. can — a tin
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. can — to be able to
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. can — a tin
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. season — in sport
  14. lean — thin
  15. toast — bread
  16. content — the amount
  17. face — to point toward
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. row — a line
  21. chair — a leader
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. season — of the year
  24. lean — to bend

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