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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rock — music
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. march — music
  9. mark — a grade
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mark — a trace
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. content — happy
  22. staff — employees
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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