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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. content — happy
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. kid — child
  8. shower — to wash
  9. toast — bread
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. saw — the tool
  14. shower — rain
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. content — the amount
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. bowl — a dish

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