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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rash — a series
  3. ball — a dance
  4. content — the amount
  5. rash — hasty
  6. content — happy
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. foot — a measure
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. chair — a leader
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. net — in sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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