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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. net — for catching
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. squash — the sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. season — in sport
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. net — in sport
  21. content — happy
  22. scale — in music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. squash — to crush

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