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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. mark — a trace
  5. can — a tin
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. date — the fruit
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. mark — a grade
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chair — a leader
  14. tube — a container
  15. can — to be able to
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. content — the amount
  18. can — a tin
  19. content — happy
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cold — an illness
  24. tube — the underground

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