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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. march — the month
  4. chip — for betting
  5. staff — employees
  6. game — a match
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. staff — employees
  10. game — wild animals
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. present — there
  15. staff — a stick
  16. mug — a face
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mug — a cup
  19. content — happy
  20. present — the time now
  21. march — the month
  22. present — a gift
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mug — to rob

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