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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. dip — to sink
  3. suit — in cards
  4. net — after costs
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fork — in a road
  7. content — the amount
  8. saw — the tool
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. wound — an injury
  11. content — happy
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. net — for catching
  21. saw — the tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wound — an injury
  24. net — in sport

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