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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bear — the animal
  3. row — to paddle
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. staff — a stick
  6. mug — a cup
  7. content — happy
  8. staff — employees
  9. root — the cause
  10. last — to go on
  11. content — the amount
  12. root — of a plant
  13. mug — a face
  14. root — of a word
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. toast — bread
  18. mug — to rob
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. last — finally
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. last — final
  23. bear — the animal
  24. row — a line

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