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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ball — a great time
  9. content — the amount
  10. face — to confront
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. face — part of the head
  14. content — happy
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ball — a dance
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bass — low music
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wave — with your hand

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