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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rest — what's left
  3. object — to protest
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. object — an aim
  10. last — to go on
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. last — finally
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. mug — a cup
  16. last — final
  17. object — a thing
  18. rest — a break
  19. mug — a face
  20. season — of the year
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. season — in sport
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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