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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. rash — a series
  4. march — music
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. capital — money
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. march — the month
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rush — hurry
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. can — a tin

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