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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rash — a series
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bat — the animal
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. season — in sport
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. season — of the year
  10. field — for sport
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. present — a gift
  14. content — the amount
  15. rash — hasty
  16. content — happy
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. present — there
  20. field — a subject
  21. present — the time now
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. field — farmland
  24. mouse — the animal

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