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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. present — there
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. content — the amount
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. row — a line
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. row — to paddle
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. march — music
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bank — for money
  18. present — the time now
  19. content — happy
  20. march — the month
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. march — the month

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