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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 124 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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. ball — a great time
  5. scale — in music
  6. rash — a series
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. season — in sport
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. root — of a word
  15. season — of the year
  16. ball — a dance
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. root — of a plant
  19. date — the fruit
  20. root — the cause
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wind — moving air
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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