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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. row — to paddle
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. content — happy
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mug — a face
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. net — after costs
  13. mark — a grade
  14. season — in sport
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mark — a trace
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. net — for catching
  19. kid — child
  20. mug — to rob
  21. content — the amount
  22. season — of the year
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. row — a line

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