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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. band — a ring
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. key — for a lock
  10. content — the amount
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. fork — in a road
  15. band — a music group
  16. board — a committee
  17. dip — to sink
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. key — the most important part
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. key — in music
  24. bowl — a dish

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