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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. content — happy
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. scale — size or range
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. march — the month
  9. bank — of a river
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fine — all right
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bank — for money
  16. march — music
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bank — for money
  22. content — the amount
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. scale — 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