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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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. march — music
  3. spring — the season
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spell — letters
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. content — the amount
  8. spring — of water
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spell — magic
  13. spring — a coil
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bass — the fish
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spell — a short time
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. lie — to recline
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. content — happy
  24. bass — low music

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