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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. land — ground
  4. saw — the tool
  5. content — happy
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wake — a trail
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rock — music
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. shower — rain
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. shower — to wash
  19. saw — the tool
  20. land — a country
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. land — to come down
  24. hide — to keep secret

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