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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. content — the amount
  3. land — to come down
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. prune — to trim
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. board — a committee
  9. land — a country
  10. mark — a grade
  11. file — a document
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. land — ground
  15. board — to get on
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. content — happy

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