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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. ball — a dance
  5. club — for golf
  6. current — of water
  7. tear — from crying
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. content — happy
  13. perch — the fish
  14. firm — decided
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. firm — steady
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. current — electric
  21. tear — to rip
  22. current — happening now
  23. club — a group
  24. firm — a company

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