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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. march — the month
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. content — the amount
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. current — happening now
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. deal — to handle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pass — a permit
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. march — the month
  19. current — of water
  20. dip — to sink
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. row — a line
  23. current — electric
  24. march — 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