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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mine — for digging
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. march — music
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. content — happy
  13. fall — the season
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. march — the month
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. content — the amount

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