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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. content — happy
  3. march — the month
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — in control
  6. last — final
  7. charge — electricity
  8. spring — a coil
  9. content — the amount
  10. club — a group
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spring — of water
  14. spell — a short time
  15. march — the month
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. march — music
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. last — finally
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. last — to go on
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — for dancing

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