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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. fine — all right
  8. march — music
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. march — the month
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. content — happy
  16. mark — a grade
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. march — the month

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