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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fork — in a road
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. staff — a stick
  6. hand — help
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. content — happy
  11. staff — employees
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. spring — a coil
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. spring — of water
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. season — in sport
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. spring — the season
  22. hand — in cards
  23. season — of the year
  24. staff — employees

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