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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 · date · ground · saw · row · roll · spell · mark

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mark — a trace
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. spell — magic
  8. content — the amount
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spell — letters
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. spell — a short time
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mark — a grade
  24. content — happy

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