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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. spell — a short time
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cell — in biology
  6. club — a group
  7. march — the month
  8. mark — a trace
  9. spell — magic
  10. march — music
  11. content — happy
  12. cell — a phone
  13. staff — employees
  14. mark — a grade
  15. spell — letters
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. club — for golf
  19. content — the amount
  20. club — for dancing
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. staff — employees
  24. nail — for a hammer

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