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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
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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: content · lie · bat · spring · hide · land · bay · fan

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. land — a country
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spring — the season
  11. content — the amount
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. land — ground
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bat — the animal
  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