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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 116 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. staff — employees
  6. march — music
  7. deal — to handle
  8. file — a line of people
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. file — a tool
  11. content — happy
  12. staff — employees
  13. file — a document
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. staff — a stick
  17. march — the month
  18. deal — an agreement

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