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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. staff — a stick
  3. content — happy
  4. bear — the animal
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. game — wild animals
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. foot — a measure
  11. staff — employees
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. content — the amount
  16. staff — employees
  17. season — in sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cell — in biology
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. game — a match
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cell — a phone

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