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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. court — for sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rock — a stone
  10. content — the amount
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. last — to go on
  16. court — of a king
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mark — a trace
  19. court — of law
  20. rock — music
  21. content — happy
  22. mark — a grade
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. ball — a round shape

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