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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mate — a friend
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. ball — a dance
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. saw — the tool
  10. hand — help
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mate — to breed
  13. season — of the year
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. content — the amount
  19. mate — a partner
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hand — in cards
  22. season — in sport
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mouse — 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