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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. squash — the sport
  3. content — the amount
  4. ball — a great time
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ball — a dance
  11. race — humankind
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. squash — to crush
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. scale — in music
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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