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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. can — a tin
  5. content — happy
  6. court — for sport
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. can — to be able to
  10. dip — to sink
  11. court — of law
  12. content — the amount
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. rash — a series
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. face — part of the head
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. court — of a king
  24. can — a tin

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