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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.

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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. content — happy
  3. swing — music
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. swing — to play on
  11. fine — all right
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. swing — in golf
  16. fine — high quality
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. kid — child
  22. content — the amount
  23. kid — to tease
  24. root — of a word

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