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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: staff · bowl · fine · row · content · date · snap · leaves

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fine — all right
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fine — high quality
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. content — the amount
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. row — a line
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. snap — to click
  18. date — the fruit
  19. staff — a stick
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. row — to paddle
  22. content — happy
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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