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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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  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. spell — a short time
  2. mate — a partner
  3. band — a ring
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. band — a music group
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. spell — letters
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bark — to shout
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. spell — magic
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. content — the amount
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  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