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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. chest — of your body
  3. march — music
  4. ball — a dance
  5. content — happy
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pit — in a race
  8. chest — of your body
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. scale — size or range
  12. chest — a box
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pit — a hole
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. scale — in music
  20. march — the month
  21. mark — a trace
  22. deal — to handle
  23. march — the month
  24. mark — to pay attention

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