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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — happy
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. land — a country
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. land — ground
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mate — a partner
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. land — to come down
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. mate — a friend
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mug — a face
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mug — to rob
  22. content — the amount
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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