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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. content — happy
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. rock — music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. content — the amount
  13. field — a subject
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. rock — a stone
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. arm — part of the body

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