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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pit — in a race
  4. march — the month
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. field — farmland
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cap — a hat
  14. content — the amount
  15. march — music
  16. field — for sport
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. field — a subject
  20. snap — to click
  21. content — happy
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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