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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. net — in sport
  3. ball — a great time
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. chip — to eat
  6. net — for catching
  7. track — a song
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. spell — magic
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. net — after costs
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. season — in sport
  15. content — happy
  16. season — of the year
  17. spell — a short time
  18. track — a path
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. content — the amount
  23. track — to keep track
  24. ball — a dance

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