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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. field — a subject
  4. content — happy
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. key — for a lock
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chip — for betting
  15. key — in music
  16. can — a tin
  17. chip — to eat
  18. scale — in music
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. scale — size or range
  24. can — to be able to

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