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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. content — the amount
  3. plane — a tool
  4. march — the month
  5. root — the cause
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rush — hurry
  11. last — finally
  12. net — in sport
  13. content — happy
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. root — of a word
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. last — final
  20. root — of a plant
  21. march — the month
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. last — to go on

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