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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. spring — of water
  3. kick — in football
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chest — of your body
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. spell — magic
  11. spring — a coil
  12. content — the amount
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. fall — the season
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spring — the season
  20. chest — a box
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. content — happy

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