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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cue — for pool
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. content — happy
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. content — the amount
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pit — in a race
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. cue — a hint

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