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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. track — a song
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. content — happy
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. net — after costs
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. net — in sport
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. track — a path
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. foot — a measure
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. season — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. deal — to handle
  24. foot — part of the body

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