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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. rest — what's left
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. toast — bread
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. content — happy
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. content — the amount
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. spell — magic
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. spell — a short time
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rest — a break
  21. stand — to bear
  22. spell — letters
  23. field — farmland
  24. jam — a tight spot

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