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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 116 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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rash — a series
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. content — happy
  8. mug — a cup
  9. content — the amount
  10. field — farmland
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mug — a face
  17. bat — the animal
  18. court — for sport
  19. field — for sport
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rock — music
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rock — a stone
  24. field — a subject

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