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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — a series
  6. staff — employees
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. content — the amount
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. rash — hasty
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. content — happy
  20. staff — employees
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. march — the month
  24. rash — on the skin

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