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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. season — of the year
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. band — a music group
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. last — to go on
  9. chip — to eat
  10. band — a ring
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. last — finally
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. last — final
  24. band — a rubber band

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