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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 124 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. ball — a great time
  3. content — the amount
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ball — a dance
  7. spring — a coil
  8. object — an aim
  9. bank — for money
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bank — for money
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. object — to protest
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cue — a signal
  23. object — a thing
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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