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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fine — all right
  4. content — happy
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. last — to go on
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. spell — letters
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. present — the time now
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. content — the amount
  14. spell — magic
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. last — finally
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. spell — a short time
  19. last — final
  20. board — a committee
  21. present — there
  22. board — to get on
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. present — a gift

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