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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. cue — a signal
  4. date — the fruit
  5. face — part of the head
  6. degree — from a university
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. track — to keep track
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cue — a hint
  11. face — to confront
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. track — a song
  14. content — the amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. track — a path
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. content — happy
  24. cue — for pool

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