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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. content — happy
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. row — a line
  7. dip — to sink
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. wake — a trail
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. row — to paddle
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. content — the amount
  22. season — in sport
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. drill — a practice

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