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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. cue — for pool
  4. content — happy
  5. march — the month
  6. cue — a signal
  7. content — the amount
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — in sport
  12. land — to come down
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. land — a country
  20. march — the month
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. land — ground
  23. ruler — a monarch
  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