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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. content — happy
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ground — a position
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. fork — in a road
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ground — crushed
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. row — a line
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bass — the fish

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