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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. content — happy
  3. ball — a dance
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. content — the amount
  7. net — in sport
  8. club — for golf
  9. mate — a friend
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. club — a group
  13. net — for catching
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. net — after costs
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mate — a partner
  20. club — for dancing
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mate — to breed
  23. date — the fruit
  24. nail — on a finger

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