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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · band · game · bay · spring · hide · content · ball

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. present — the time now
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ball — a great time
  5. content — the amount
  6. spring — a coil
  7. present — there
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. content — happy
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. ball — a dance
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. band — a music group
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. present — a gift
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. band — a ring
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. game — a match

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