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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. march — the month
  3. club — a group
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. rest — what's left
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. fine — all right
  11. march — the month
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bank — for money
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rest — a break
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bank — for money
  20. march — music
  21. bank — of a river
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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