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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. sharp — clever
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. content — happy
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. hand — help
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. content — the amount
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hand — in cards
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. land — ground
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. land — a country

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