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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. net — in sport
  2. bank — of a river
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. spring — the season
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spring — a coil
  8. ball — a great time
  9. spring — of water
  10. net — for catching
  11. bank — for money
  12. cap — a lid
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bank — for money
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. net — after costs
  20. cap — a hat
  21. content — the amount
  22. ball — a dance
  23. cap — of ice
  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