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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. key — the most important part
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. march — the month
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. key — in music
  10. march — the month
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bear — the animal
  15. content — the amount
  16. season — in sport
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. march — music
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. season — of the year
  24. key — for a lock

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