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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. ball — a great time
  3. court — of law
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. sharp — clever
  6. ball — a dance
  7. last — to go on
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. court — of a king
  12. last — finally
  13. lie — to recline
  14. content — the amount
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. court — for sport
  20. wax — to grow
  21. content — happy
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. lie — an untruth

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