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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fine — all right
  3. object — to protest
  4. present — there
  5. last — finally
  6. content — happy
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. march — the month
  9. fine — high quality
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. march — music
  13. court — of a king
  14. object — a thing
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. present — the time now
  18. last — to go on
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. march — the month
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. present — a gift
  23. last — final
  24. object — an aim

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