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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. spring — a coil
  4. content — happy
  5. ball — a dance
  6. suit — in cards
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. spring — the season
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. suit — to fit
  15. chest — a box
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. content — the amount
  23. spring — of water
  24. ball — a round shape

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