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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. season — of the year
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. content — happy
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. spring — of water
  8. season — in sport
  9. land — a country
  10. content — the amount
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. ball — a great time
  13. spring — the season
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. land — to come down
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. land — ground
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. spring — a coil

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