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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bear — the animal
  3. key — for a lock
  4. march — the month
  5. shower — rain
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. hand — help
  9. bear — the animal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. key — the most important part
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. season — of the year
  14. content — the amount
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. content — happy
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. march — music
  20. hand — in cards
  21. march — the month
  22. season — in sport
  23. shower — to wash
  24. key — in music

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