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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 108 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. spring — the season
  4. cold — an illness
  5. spring — of water
  6. ball — a great time
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. charge — electricity
  9. suit — clothes
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. charge — a price
  12. content — the amount
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. charge — in control
  15. content — happy
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cold — not warm
  20. spring — a coil
  21. suit — to fit
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. suit — in cards
  24. ruler — for measuring

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