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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. cold — not warm
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. band — a music group
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cold — an illness
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fork — in a road
  15. band — a ring
  16. content — the amount
  17. mate — a partner
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mate — a friend
  23. content — happy
  24. coach — a trainer

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