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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. last — finally
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wound — an injury
  6. present — there
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. present — a gift
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. content — happy
  13. last — final
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. present — the time now
  17. last — to go on
  18. content — the amount
  19. board — a committee
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. capital — money
  24. board — to get on

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