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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. foot — a measure
  6. cue — for pool
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cue — a hint
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. craft — a skill
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. content — happy
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. craft — boats
  21. cue — a signal
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. content — the amount
  24. jam — a tight spot

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