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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 116 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 water is too ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. march — the month
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. cue — a signal
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rule — a law
  13. march — the month
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bear — the animal
  16. march — music
  17. fine — all right
  18. season — in sport
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. fine — high quality
  23. season — of the year
  24. rule — government

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