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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. content — happy
  5. last — to go on
  6. land — to come down
  7. last — finally
  8. cue — a hint
  9. last — final
  10. rash — a series
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. toast — bread
  13. content — the amount
  14. land — ground
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. land — a country
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rash — hasty
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cue — for pool
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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