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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cue — for pool
  6. field — a subject
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bank — of a river
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cue — a hint
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bank — for money
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. bank — for money
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cue — a signal
  20. content — the amount
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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