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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. suit — clothes
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. spell — magic
  8. content — happy
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. capital — a city
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lie — to recline
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rash — a series
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. capital — money
  21. suit — to fit
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. suit — in cards
  24. spell — letters

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