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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. content — happy
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. spring — of water
  6. pop — music
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. drill — army training
  11. spring — a coil
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pit — in a race
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pop — soda
  17. foot — a measure
  18. content — the amount
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. spring — the season
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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