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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fall — the season
  3. mate — a partner
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ball — a dance
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. fall — to drop
  9. track — a song
  10. fall — to drop
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. content — happy
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. track — a path
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. mate — a friend
  19. ball — a great time
  20. track — to keep track
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — a permit

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