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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. spring — the season
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. track — to keep track
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. track — a path
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. spring — of water
  21. track — a song
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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