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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. kid — to tease
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. last — to go on
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. dip — to sink
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. last — final
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. content — the amount
  20. lie — to recline
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. kid — child
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. last — finally

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