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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. stand — to bear
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. field — farmland
  7. march — the month
  8. shower — to wash
  9. field — for sport
  10. march — music
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. content — happy
  13. mark — a trace
  14. season — of the year
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — a subject
  18. march — the month
  19. season — in sport
  20. mark — a grade
  21. content — the amount
  22. shower — rain
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. mark — to pay attention

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