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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. content — happy
  4. shower — rain
  5. wound — an injury
  6. content — the amount
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cue — a hint
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cue — for pool
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ball — a dance
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'

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