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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. present — the time now
  5. content — happy
  6. pitch — completely
  7. content — the amount
  8. pass — a permit
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. rest — a break
  12. ball — a great time
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. present — there
  15. rest — what's left
  16. present — a gift
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. rest — what's left

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