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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. march — the month
  3. kick — in football
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. march — the month
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. content — happy
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. season — in sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. march — music

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