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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. present — a gift
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. hand — in cards
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. present — the time now
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. hand — help
  10. content — happy
  11. row — a line
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. present — there
  14. dip — to sink
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. row — to paddle
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. content — the amount
  24. patient — a sick person

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