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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. suit — to fit
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pop — to visit
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pop — music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. suit — clothes
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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