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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 ________________ the meat?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. march — music
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. content — happy
  7. mate — a friend
  8. club — for golf
  9. drill — a practice
  10. season — of the year
  11. club — a group
  12. march — the month
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. season — in sport
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mate — to breed
  17. club — for dancing
  18. drill — the tool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. content — the amount
  23. drill — army training
  24. mate — a partner

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