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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. swing — music
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. march — the month
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. swing — in golf
  11. toast — bread
  12. mate — a partner
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cap — of ice
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. content — happy
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mate — to breed
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mate — a friend
  23. march — music
  24. cap — a hat

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