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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. content — happy
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bank — of a river
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wind — moving air
  13. key — in music
  14. content — the amount
  15. bank — for money
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wind — moving air
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bank — for money
  23. wound — an injury
  24. trunk — of a car

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