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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. track — to keep track
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. content — the amount
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. march — the month
  13. bulb — for light
  14. content — happy
  15. chest — of your body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. track — a song
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. track — a path
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — a permit
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bulb — for light

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