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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rock — music
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rash — hasty
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. season — in sport
  7. pop — music
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rash — a series
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pop — soda
  14. content — the amount
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. season — of the year
  18. pop — to visit
  19. content — happy
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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