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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. land — ground
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. ground — a position
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. land — a country
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fine — all right
  12. land — to come down
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitch — completely
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. ground — crushed
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. content — the amount

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