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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cap — of ice
  3. content — the amount
  4. toast — bread
  5. date — the fruit
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. cap — a lid
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cue — a hint
  13. content — happy
  14. bat — the animal
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. spell — magic
  18. track — a song
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. track — a path
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cap — a hat

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