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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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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. ball — a great time
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. present — a gift
  6. content — the amount
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. present — there
  12. ball — a dance
  13. present — the time now
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. racket — for tennis

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