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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. content — happy
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mug — a cup
  5. march — the month
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. march — music
  9. capital — money
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mug — to rob
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mug — a face
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. march — the month
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bulb — for light
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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