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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: dip · bat · bowl · chair · row · season · content · tube

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. tube — a container
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. season — in sport
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. tube — the underground
  13. content — happy
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. season — of the year
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bat — the animal
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bat — in an idiom

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