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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. last — finally
  3. pass — a permit
  4. content — happy
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. last — final
  7. land — ground
  8. squash — to crush
  9. land — a country
  10. mate — a partner
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. mate — to breed
  14. ball — a dance
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. land — to come down
  17. last — to go on
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mate — a friend
  23. ball — a great time
  24. perch — the fish

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