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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. content — happy
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — an illness
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. content — the amount
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rush — hurry

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