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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. content — the amount
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. march — the month
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fine — high quality
  14. squash — the sport
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. march — the month
  20. cap — a hat
  21. fine — all right
  22. march — music
  23. squash — to crush
  24. content — happy

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