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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. content — the amount
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. content — happy
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. roll — a cake
  12. tube — a container
  13. land — ground
  14. roll — a list
  15. tube — the underground
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. squash — to crush
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to click
  24. bowl — a football final

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