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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. content — happy
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. season — in sport
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. rash — hasty
  11. track — a song
  12. spring — of water
  13. squash — to crush
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. track — to keep track
  16. spring — a coil
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rash — a series
  19. spring — the season
  20. squash — the sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. track — a path
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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