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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. land — a country
  5. content — the amount
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. content — happy
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. land — ground
  21. toast — bread
  22. land — to come down
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bowl — a dish

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