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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. tube — a container
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mate — a friend
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. ball — a dance
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mate — a partner
  15. content — the amount
  16. wake — a trail
  17. content — happy
  18. ball — a great time
  19. spring — the season
  20. mate — to breed
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. spring — a coil

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