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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. track — a path
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fine — high quality
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. content — the amount
  9. track — a song
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. row — a line
  12. march — music
  13. fine — all right
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. track — to keep track
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. march — the month
  22. ground — crushed
  23. content — happy
  24. sharp — clever

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