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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. swing — to play on
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. content — happy
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mark — a grade
  10. swing — in golf
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mark — a trace
  14. spring — of water
  15. content — the amount
  16. fork — in a road
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. swing — music
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. present — there
  21. present — the time now
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. present — a gift

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