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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. fine — all right
  4. rush — hurry
  5. present — a gift
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. present — there
  8. march — the month
  9. pit — in a race
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pit — a hole
  13. content — the amount
  14. fine — high quality
  15. content — happy
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. snap — to click
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. present — the time now
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. march — the month
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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