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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. can — a tin
  3. cue — a hint
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. content — happy
  6. land — to come down
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cue — for pool
  11. can — a tin
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. season — of the year
  16. land — ground
  17. season — in sport
  18. land — a country
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. content — the amount
  21. march — the month
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wake — a trail

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