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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.

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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. ball — a dance
  5. row — a line
  6. wound — an injury
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. fine — all right
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — happy
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wound — an injury
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. board — to get on
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ball — a great time
  24. board — a committee

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