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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. season — in sport
  3. land — to come down
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. can — a tin
  8. land — a country
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. content — the amount
  11. clip — to cut
  12. land — ground
  13. clip — for paper
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. can — a tin
  16. ground — the earth
  17. clip — a video
  18. season — of the year
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. ground — a position
  23. content — happy
  24. racket — for tennis

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