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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. file — a document
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. content — happy
  6. net — in sport
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cap — of ice
  11. file — a tool
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. file — a line of people
  14. net — after costs
  15. season — in sport
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cap — a hat
  18. season — of the year
  19. net — for catching
  20. content — the amount
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cap — a lid
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. content — videos and posts

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