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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. fine — all right
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. content — the amount
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. date — the fruit
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stand — to bear
  18. content — happy
  19. fine — high quality
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fine — a penalty

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