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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. last — final
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. content — the amount
  8. firm — a company
  9. content — happy
  10. march — music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pit — in a race
  13. firm — steady
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. march — the month
  19. roll — a list
  20. march — the month
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. roll — a cake
  23. firm — decided
  24. pit — a hole

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