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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. mug — to rob
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fine — all right
  8. capital — money
  9. mug — a face
  10. fine — high quality
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. capital — a city
  15. content — the amount
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. content — happy
  18. pop — music
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mug — a cup
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. date — the fruit

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