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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. present — there
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. march — the month
  8. pit — a hole
  9. content — the amount
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. hand — help
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pit — in a race
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mine — for digging
  17. march — music
  18. dip — to sink
  19. present — a gift
  20. march — the month
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. content — happy
  24. bay — a horse colour

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