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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. content — the amount
  4. clip — to cut
  5. net — for catching
  6. craft — boats
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. net — in sport
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. net — after costs
  13. rule — a law
  14. season — in sport
  15. mark — a grade
  16. clip — for paper
  17. content — happy
  18. rule — government
  19. craft — a skill
  20. season — of the year
  21. ball — a dance
  22. clip — a video
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. mark — a trace

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