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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. game — a match
  5. club — for golf
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wake — a trail
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. degree — an amount
  11. spring — of water
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. club — for dancing
  17. ball — a dance
  18. club — a group
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. content — happy
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wake — before a funeral

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