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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pop — to visit
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. present — there
  5. content — the amount
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. season — in sport
  9. pop — music
  10. mate — a friend
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pop — soda
  14. mate — to breed
  15. season — of the year
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wound — an injury
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. content — happy
  20. mate — a partner
  21. drill — army training
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. drill — the tool

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