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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. roll — a list
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. ball — a dance
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rash — a series
  16. sharp — clever
  17. content — the amount
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. content — happy
  21. rash — hasty
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bat — the animal
  24. content — videos and posts

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