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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. content — the amount
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. content — happy
  7. pound — a weight
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. net — after costs
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. season — of the year
  16. present — there
  17. net — in sport
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. net — for catching
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. season — in sport

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