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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. march — the month
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. content — the amount
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. hand — help
  12. rush — hurry
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. march — music
  15. pass — a permit
  16. content — happy
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. present — the time now
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. present — there
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. march — the month
  23. present — a gift
  24. pass — to spend time

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