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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. content — happy
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. mark — a trace
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. drill — army training
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. branch — a division
  23. content — the amount
  24. fan — a supporter

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