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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. can — a tin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. march — the month
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. content — happy
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. spring — of water
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. march — the month
  19. wind — moving air
  20. can — a tin
  21. march — music
  22. content — the amount
  23. spring — a coil
  24. can — to be able to

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