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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bank — for money
  4. mug — to rob
  5. march — the month
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bank — of a river
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spell — magic
  11. content — the amount
  12. march — music
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bank — for money
  16. mug — a cup
  17. march — the month
  18. mug — a face
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pass — a permit
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. date — the fruit
  24. pass — to spend time

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