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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. row — a line
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. content — the amount
  5. club — for dancing
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. last — finally
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wake — a trail
  11. last — to go on
  12. club — for golf
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wind — moving air
  16. content — happy
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wind — moving air
  21. last — final
  22. row — to paddle
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. club — a group

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