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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. content — the amount
  4. cold — an illness
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. swing — to play on
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bear — the animal
  12. swing — in golf
  13. staff — a stick
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. swing — music
  18. staff — employees
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cold — not warm
  21. content — happy
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. hand — in cards
  24. staff — employees

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