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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. season — in sport
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fine — high quality
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fine — all right
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. ball — a dance
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. content — the amount
  18. kid — to tease
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. content — happy
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. ball — a great time

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