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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. spell — magic
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. foot — a measure
  9. spell — letters
  10. mug — a face
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mug — to rob
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — happy
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bark — to shout
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. spell — a short time

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