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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. can — a tin
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. content — happy
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. present — the time now
  8. can — a tin
  9. lean — thin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cue — a signal
  13. content — the amount
  14. present — a gift
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cue — for pool
  20. march — the month
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. present — there
  23. march — the month
  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