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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. march — the month
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bound — certain
  9. rock — music
  10. mug — a face
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. object — an aim
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bound — obliged
  16. field — a subject
  17. object — a thing
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. object — to protest
  21. bound — tied together
  22. field — for sport
  23. dip — to sink
  24. content — the amount

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