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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · lie · fall · ball · leaves · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lie — to recline
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fall — to drop
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fall — the season
  18. lie — an untruth

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