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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rule — a law
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cap — of ice
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fine — all right
  20. row — a line
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. fork — a garden tool

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