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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. content — the amount
  3. can — a tin
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rash — hasty
  8. hand — in cards
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rash — a series
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pop — soda
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. ball — a great time
  16. season — of the year
  17. pop — music
  18. season — in sport
  19. plane — a tool
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. ball — a dance
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. hand — help
  24. can — a tin

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