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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. row — a line
  3. fall — the season
  4. content — happy
  5. fall — to drop
  6. clip — for paper
  7. root — of a plant
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. content — the amount
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lean — thin
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. clip — to cut
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. root — the cause
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. lean — to bend
  20. clip — a video
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. root — of a word

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