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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 116 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. present — the time now
  3. land — to come down
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rest — a break
  7. content — the amount
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. content — happy
  10. bear — the animal
  11. present — there
  12. staff — employees
  13. land — ground
  14. land — a country
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — the animal
  18. clip — a video
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. staff — employees
  22. present — a gift
  23. staff — a stick
  24. content — videos and posts

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