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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. date — the fruit
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. ball — a great time
  10. content — the amount
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. march — the month
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. march — the month
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. ball — a dance
  20. march — music
  21. content — happy
  22. rush — hurry
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bay — a horse colour

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