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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 124 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. content — happy
  3. mark — a grade
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. cue — for pool
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cue — a signal
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. last — to go on
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. lean — thin
  17. last — final
  18. cue — a hint
  19. lean — to bend
  20. last — finally
  21. content — the amount
  22. key — in music
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. mark — a trace

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