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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cap — a lid
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. mate — to breed
  8. wound — an injury
  9. content — the amount
  10. kick — in football
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. cap — of ice
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mate — a friend
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mate — a partner
  23. content — happy
  24. racket — for tennis

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