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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. ball — a great time
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. court — for sport
  6. land — ground
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. content — happy
  9. race — the arms race
  10. land — a country
  11. lean — to bend
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. lean — thin
  16. wake — a trail
  17. content — the amount
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. land — to come down
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a dance

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