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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: can · bowl · toast · clip · content · field · root · cap

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. field — a subject
  3. can — a tin
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. content — the amount
  6. root — of a plant
  7. cap — a hat
  8. toast — bread
  9. clip — a video
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cap — a lid
  12. root — the cause
  13. content — happy
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. field — farmland
  16. clip — to cut
  17. can — a tin
  18. cap — of ice
  19. clip — for paper
  20. can — to be able to
  21. root — of a word
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. field — for sport

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