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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fork — in a road
  5. dip — to sink
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. court — of law
  8. date — the fruit
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wake — a trail
  11. court — for sport
  12. mine — for digging
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. content — happy
  16. court — of a king
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. content — the amount
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mine — an explosive

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