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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. content — the amount
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pit — a hole
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. row — a line
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. content — happy
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. row — to paddle
  20. pop — music
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pit — in a race
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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