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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 116 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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. club — for golf
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. content — the amount
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. hand — help
  9. content — happy
  10. field — a subject
  11. chair — a leader
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. club — for dancing
  15. field — for sport
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. club — a group
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. fork — in a road
  21. field — farmland
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bowl — to roll

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