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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. lean — to bend
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. court — for sport
  7. land — to come down
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. content — happy
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. land — ground
  12. toast — bread
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. object — a thing
  15. land — a country
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. object — an aim
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. lean — thin
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. object — to protest
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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