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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. last — to go on
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. march — the month
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rest — a break
  11. bound — obliged
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bound — certain
  16. content — the amount
  17. march — music
  18. content — happy
  19. fine — all right
  20. last — finally
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. last — final
  24. bear — the animal

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