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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bank — of a river
  3. rest — a break
  4. ball — a great time
  5. track — a song
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ground — a position
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bank — for money
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. rest — what's left
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. track — a path
  16. content — the amount
  17. bank — for money
  18. rest — what's left
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rule — a law
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ground — crushed
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — to rule out

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