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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. roll — a list
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pop — music
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pitch — completely
  8. object — an aim
  9. ball — a dance
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. object — to protest
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. last — final
  15. content — happy
  16. pop — to visit
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. object — a thing
  20. ball — a great time
  21. content — the amount
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. ball — a round shape

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