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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fine — all right
  4. last — final
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bank — of a river
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. fall — the season
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bank — for money
  11. content — the amount
  12. last — finally
  13. bank — for money
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. content — happy
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fine — high quality
  19. last — to go on
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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