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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 124 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. suit — to fit
  3. season — of the year
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. season — in sport
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pass — a permit
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. content — the amount
  14. suit — in cards
  15. drill — the tool
  16. suit — clothes
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. drill — a practice
  19. hand — help
  20. drill — army training
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. chair — a leader
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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