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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. march — the month
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lie — to recline
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mate — a partner
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. content — happy
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. content — the amount
  21. march — the month
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bowl — a football final

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