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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 116 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. season — in sport
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. march — the month
  6. content — the amount
  7. rock — music
  8. bear — the animal
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. present — there
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. present — the time now
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. march — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. march — the month
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rock — a stone
  19. game — a match
  20. season — of the year
  21. present — a gift
  22. game — wild animals
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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