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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
468
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: bay · land · lean · pitcher · pit · content · object · temple

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. object — an aim
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pit — in a race
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. land — ground
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lean — thin
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. land — a country
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — a thing
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. land — to come down

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