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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stand — to bear
  4. game — a match
  5. fork — in a road
  6. season — of the year
  7. can — a tin
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. content — the amount
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. content — happy
  16. can — a tin
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. roll — a list
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. roll — a cake
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. roll — on a roll

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