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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  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. last — to go on
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. content — happy
  5. can — a tin
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. can — to be able to
  10. march — the month
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bear — the animal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. last — final
  15. face — to confront
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. content — the amount
  18. last — finally
  19. march — music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. face — part of the head
  23. content — videos and posts
  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