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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: pit · content · bear · nail · row · cell · toast · lean

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pit — a hole
  3. toast — bread
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. row — to paddle
  7. content — happy
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cell — a phone
  11. lean — thin
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pit — in a race
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. content — the amount
  20. bear — the animal
  21. row — a line
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. lean — to rest against

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