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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pop — soda
  3. squash — the sport
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. content — the amount
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pound — a weight
  11. squash — to crush
  12. content — happy
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pop — to visit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pop — music
  24. rest — a break

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