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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mate — to breed
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. content — happy
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mate — a partner
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mate — a friend
  20. date — the fruit
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. key — for a lock
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. coach — a trainer

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