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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: date · bore · fork · march · dip · nail · content · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. march — the month
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fork — in a road
  11. content — the amount
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. march — the month
  14. bore — to drill
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. dip — to sink
  17. content — happy
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. march — music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. pit — in a race
  24. fork — to eat with

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