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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. content — happy
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pop — music
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. cue — a signal
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. pop — to visit
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bound — obliged
  11. deal — to handle
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cue — for pool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cue — a hint
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. pop — soda

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