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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. content — the amount
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. content — happy
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bulb — for light
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. march — the month
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fine — all right
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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