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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. content — the amount
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. chest — a box
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chest — of your body
  14. content — happy
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air

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