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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rest — what's left
  6. season — in sport
  7. mate — a friend
  8. content — happy
  9. club — a group
  10. rest — what's left
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. club — for golf
  14. mate — a partner
  15. track — a path
  16. content — the amount
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mate — to breed
  21. track — a song
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. season — of the year

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