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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. content — happy
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. track — a path
  6. present — a gift
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. track — to keep track
  10. content — the amount
  11. present — there
  12. march — the month
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. snap — to click
  18. present — the time now

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