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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: cue · can · pitcher · content · fork · clip · bulb · date

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bulb — for light
  3. clip — to cut
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. clip — for paper
  6. can — a tin
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. content — the amount
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. can — a tin
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. clip — a video
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fork — in a road
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. cue — a signal

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