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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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. land — a country
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. ground — the earth
  8. land — to come down
  9. ground — crushed
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mate — a partner
  12. content — happy
  13. mate — a friend
  14. staff — a stick
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. staff — employees
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mate — to breed
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. staff — employees
  21. land — ground
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. ground — a position
  24. chair — to sit on

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