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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. content — happy
  3. season — of the year
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. tube — a container
  6. march — the month
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. march — the month
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. content — the amount
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bat — the animal
  23. march — music
  24. bowl — a football final

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