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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cap — a hat
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cap — of ice
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. content — the amount
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. season — of the year
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wave — with your hand

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