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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. content — happy
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rock — a stone
  6. key — in music
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. march — music
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. ball — a great time
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bulb — for light
  14. key — for a lock
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. content — the amount
  19. march — the month
  20. key — the most important part
  21. game — a match
  22. march — the month
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — music

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