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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. roll — a list
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. content — the amount
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. field — for sport
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  24. temple — a place of worship

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