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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. march — the month
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. content — happy
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mark — a grade
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. march — music
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mine — for digging
  19. march — the month
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mark — a trace
  22. chair — a leader
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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