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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. content — the amount
  2. march — music
  3. rule — government
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. chest — a box
  8. march — the month
  9. pit — a hole
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. pit — in a race
  12. rule — a law
  13. toast — bread
  14. march — the month
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spell — magic
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spell — letters
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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