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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · hide · roll · pit · present · straw

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. content — the amount
  4. present — there
  5. roll — a cake
  6. pit — a hole
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. roll — a list
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pit — in a race
  17. content — happy
  18. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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