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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. season — of the year
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. sharp — clever
  7. content — the amount
  8. last — finally
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. march — the month
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. march — the month
  13. last — to go on
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. cap — of ice
  16. content — happy
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. march — music
  19. last — final
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — a hat
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. season — in sport

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