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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. content — happy
  3. present — the time now
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. last — final
  6. march — music
  7. last — to go on
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. content — the amount
  11. present — a gift
  12. last — finally
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bark — to shout
  17. march — the month
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. present — there
  21. key — for a lock
  22. march — the month
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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