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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pop — soda
  4. staff — a stick
  5. content — happy
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. staff — employees
  10. pass — a permit
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. staff — employees
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pop — music
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pass — to succeed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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