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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. content — happy
  3. present — a gift
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. object — a thing
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bear — the animal
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ground — a position
  13. content — the amount
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ground — the earth
  17. present — there
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. wind — moving air
  20. present — the time now
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bear — the animal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. object — to protest

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