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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. content — the amount
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. file — a tool
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. spell — magic
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. land — to come down
  14. file — a line of people
  15. content — happy
  16. ground — a position
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ground — the earth
  21. spell — a short time
  22. file — a document
  23. spell — letters
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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