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

Word bank: row · cap · game · content · toast · temple · bowl · stick

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. toast — bread
  7. row — a line
  8. game — a match
  9. cap — a lid
  10. content — the amount
  11. row — to paddle
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. game — wild animals
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cap — of ice
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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