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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. last — to go on
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. press — newspapers
  5. last — finally
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bound — tied together
  8. content — the amount
  9. march — the month
  10. bound — certain
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. content — happy
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. march — music
  18. last — final
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bound — obliged
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. press — to push
  24. march — the month

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