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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · mark · ground · jam · spell · toast · date · content

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. ground — crushed
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. date — the fruit
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. mate — a friend
  13. content — the amount
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mark — a trace
  17. spell — magic
  18. ground — the earth
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mate — to breed
  21. ground — a position
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. mark — a grade
  24. content — happy

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