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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pitch — completely
  3. staff — employees
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. staff — a stick
  8. chip — for betting
  9. staff — employees
  10. spring — of water
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. content — the amount
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chip — to eat
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. spring — the season
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. content — happy
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. date — the fruit

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