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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · kick · present · pop · spell · land · march · rock

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. march — music
  3. rock — music
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. land — ground
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pop — music
  10. spell — letters
  11. pop — to visit
  12. kick — in football
  13. present — there
  14. march — the month
  15. present — the time now
  16. march — the month
  17. present — a gift
  18. content — the amount
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. pop — soda
  21. land — a country
  22. spell — magic
  23. content — happy
  24. land — to come down

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