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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. club — a group
  4. net — for catching
  5. club — for dancing
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wake — a trail
  9. content — happy
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. content — the amount
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. club — for golf
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ball — a great time
  20. squash — the sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. squash — to crush
  23. net — in sport
  24. wake — before a funeral

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