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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. content — the amount
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. face — to confront
  6. band — a music group
  7. ball — a great time
  8. content — happy
  9. land — to come down
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. land — ground
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. face — part of the head
  19. land — a country
  20. band — a ring
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. face — to point toward

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