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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 120 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. march — the month
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rule — government
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. content — the amount
  10. march — music
  11. season — of the year
  12. sharp — clever
  13. season — in sport
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. content — happy
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rock — music
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. march — the month
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rule — a law

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