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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 116 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. land — a country
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ground — a position
  7. mug — a face
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mug — to rob
  10. land — ground
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rock — a stone
  15. ball — a dance
  16. content — the amount
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ground — crushed
  21. season — of the year
  22. mug — a cup
  23. season — in sport
  24. land — to come down

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