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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. march — music
  4. bass — low music
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. content — the amount
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. march — the month
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bass — the fish
  16. march — the month
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. row — to paddle
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. row — a line
  24. content — happy

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