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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. roll — a list
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. squash — to crush
  8. hand — in cards
  9. content — happy
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mark — a trace
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mark — a grade
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. lean — to bend
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lean — thin
  22. content — the amount
  23. roll — a cake
  24. lean — to rest against

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