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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. last — final
  4. can — to be able to
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. last — to go on
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. content — the amount
  14. game — a match
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. roll — a cake
  19. can — a tin
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. can — a tin
  22. content — happy
  23. roll — a list
  24. game — wild animals

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