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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. last — to go on
  5. content — the amount
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. race — the arms race
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ground — a position
  16. last — finally
  17. pop — music
  18. race — humankind
  19. ball — a great time
  20. content — happy
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. race — a contest
  24. last — final

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