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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. object — a thing
  7. content — the amount
  8. object — an aim
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wound — an injury
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. row — a line
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wound — an injury
  19. row — to paddle
  20. object — to protest
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. content — happy
  24. racket — for tennis

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