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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rest — a break
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rest — what's left
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. march — the month
  12. mug — a face
  13. content — happy
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mug — a cup
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bass — the fish
  18. squash — to crush
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. pound — to hit hard

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