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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. ball — a dance
  5. track — a path
  6. content — happy
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. track — a song
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. content — the amount
  15. track — to keep track
  16. game — a match
  17. press — a publisher
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. press — newspapers
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. press — to push
  22. ball — a great time
  23. branch — a division
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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