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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wake — a trail
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. toast — bread
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. chip — to eat
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. field — farmland
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. field — a subject
  19. chip — for betting
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. field — for sport
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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