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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: bear · tear · ball · content · suit · hand · spell · last

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bear — the animal
  3. hand — in cards
  4. suit — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. last — to go on
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. spell — letters
  9. hand — help
  10. content — happy
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spell — a short time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. last — final
  15. tear — to rip
  16. spell — magic
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. tear — from crying
  20. last — finally
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bear — the animal
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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