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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. rest — what's left
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — happy
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. fine — high quality
  8. season — in sport
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. content — the amount
  12. ball — a dance
  13. season — of the year
  14. fine — all right
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rest — a break
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rock — music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rock — a stone

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