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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. season — of the year
  3. spell — letters
  4. content — the amount
  5. bank — for money
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. spell — a short time
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. land — a country
  11. bank — for money
  12. spell — magic
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. fine — high quality
  16. land — ground
  17. chair — a leader
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. land — to come down
  20. fine — all right
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bank — of a river
  24. chair — a professorship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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