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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. spring — of water
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. file — a line of people
  13. content — the amount
  14. bear — the animal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spring — the season
  18. file — a document
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. file — a tool
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stand — to bear

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