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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. ball — a great time
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. content — the amount
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. shower — rain
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. ball — a dance
  13. shower — to wash
  14. court — of law
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. content — happy
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. court — of a king
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. court — for sport

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