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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ground — a position
  3. season — of the year
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. snap — to click
  9. content — the amount
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. chest — of your body
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. season — in sport
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. content — happy

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