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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 116 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 water is too ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. march — the month
  3. rock — a stone
  4. shower — rain
  5. march — music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. march — the month
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rock — music
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cold — an illness
  19. mate — to breed
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. content — the amount
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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