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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. clip — to cut
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. march — music
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. spell — a short time
  13. season — of the year
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. clip — for paper
  16. dip — to sink
  17. march — the month
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. clip — a video
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. season — in sport
  23. content — happy
  24. stand — to bear

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