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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mate — a partner
  3. march — the month
  4. cap — of ice
  5. march — music
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stock — goods
  11. mug — to rob
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. content — happy
  15. key — for a lock
  16. content — the amount
  17. mug — a face
  18. key — in music
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stock — shares
  21. key — the most important part
  22. march — the month
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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