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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. content — happy
  3. mug — a face
  4. charge — a price
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. charge — in control
  8. march — music
  9. fall — the season
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. fall — to drop
  13. shower — rain
  14. mug — to rob
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bear — the animal
  18. content — the amount
  19. mug — a cup
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. fall — to drop
  24. charge — electricity

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