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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. last — final
  4. content — happy
  5. last — to go on
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pop — to visit
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mug — a face
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. last — finally
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pop — soda
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pop — music
  21. march — the month
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. mug — to rob

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