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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wound — an injury
  5. content — the amount
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. season — in sport
  8. firm — decided
  9. content — happy
  10. season — of the year
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rule — a law
  13. firm — steady
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. spell — letters
  17. wound — an injury
  18. firm — a company
  19. track — a song
  20. rule — government
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. track — a path

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