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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. march — music
  3. cap — a hat
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cue — for pool
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. march — the month
  8. content — happy
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mate — to breed
  13. track — to keep track
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. mate — a partner
  17. content — the amount
  18. march — the month
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cue — a signal
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — high quality
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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