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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. spell — magic
  5. fall — the season
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rule — government
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — happy
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pop — music
  17. rule — a law
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spell — letters
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pop — soda
  24. fall — to drop

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