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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. ball — a great time
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bank — of a river
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. fine — all right
  8. kick — in football
  9. fine — high quality
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ground — the earth
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bank — for money
  16. ball — a dance
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. ground — a position
  21. bank — for money
  22. content — happy
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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