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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mark — a trace
  3. season — of the year
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. band — a music group
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pass — a permit
  10. content — the amount
  11. bank — for money
  12. season — in sport
  13. date — the fruit
  14. mark — a grade
  15. toast — bread
  16. band — a ring
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bank — for money
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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