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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 120 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fine — all right
  3. fork — in a road
  4. content — happy
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. spell — letters
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. spell — a short time
  15. march — the month
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stand — to bear
  20. march — music
  21. spell — magic
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. fine — high quality
  24. content — the amount

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