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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. march — the month
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. saw — the tool
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. march — the month
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. content — the amount
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. march — music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bowl — to roll

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