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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. can — a tin
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. march — music
  6. ground — a position
  7. bulb — for light
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. content — happy
  13. march — the month
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bulb — for light
  17. content — the amount
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. ground — crushed
  22. can — a tin
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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