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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ground — a position
  4. lean — thin
  5. content — happy
  6. net — in sport
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ground — crushed
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. net — after costs
  14. bass — low music
  15. content — the amount
  16. land — ground
  17. ball — a dance
  18. can — a tin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bass — the fish
  22. net — for catching
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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