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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. ground — the earth
  4. kick — in football
  5. prune — to trim
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. clip — to cut
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pit — in a race
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. prune — to trim
  16. clip — for paper
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. content — the amount
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. clip — a video
  24. pit — a hole

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