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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. content — the amount
  3. last — final
  4. march — music
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. foot — a measure
  7. object — a thing
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. season — of the year
  10. march — the month
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — an aim
  13. dip — to sink
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. last — to go on
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. content — happy
  20. season — in sport
  21. last — finally
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. plane — a tool
  24. march — the month

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