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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. ball — a dance
  4. suit — clothes
  5. game — a match
  6. suit — to fit
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cap — a lid
  13. suit — in cards
  14. content — happy
  15. pop — to visit
  16. content — the amount
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. row — a line
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — wild animals
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pop — music
  24. ball — a round shape

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