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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wake — a trail
  6. content — the amount
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for golf
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. march — the month
  12. pitch — completely
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. march — music
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. club — for dancing
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. content — happy
  24. deal — to handle

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