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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. spell — a short time
  5. can — a tin
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. pop — music
  10. stand — to bear
  11. last — final
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. spell — letters
  14. can — a tin
  15. last — to go on
  16. pop — to visit
  17. content — happy
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. can — to be able to
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. spell — magic
  22. pop — soda
  23. ball — a great time
  24. last — finally

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