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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. mine — for digging
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. can — a tin
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. present — a gift
  10. march — the month
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. present — there
  13. march — the month
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. content — the amount
  16. bat — the animal
  17. roll — a list
  18. can — a tin
  19. roll — a cake
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. present — the time now
  23. can — to be able to
  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