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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. season — of the year
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mark — a grade
  10. lie — to recline
  11. present — the time now
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. content — happy
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. present — there
  17. mark — a trace
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pound — a weight
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. present — a gift
  24. season — in sport

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