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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. squash — to crush
  7. ball — a great time
  8. content — happy
  9. scale — in music
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. squash — the sport
  15. content — the amount
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rush — hurry
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. fine — high quality
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. fine — all right
  24. foot — a measure

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