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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. last — to go on
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. content — happy
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. spring — of water
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. last — finally
  14. bass — the fish
  15. kid — child
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pit — in a race
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pit — a hole
  20. content — the amount
  21. bass — low music
  22. spring — the season
  23. last — final
  24. racket — for tennis

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