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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · ruler · jam · pitch · date · spell · wave · content

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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 — a sports field
  3. content — happy
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pitch — completely
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. spell — magic
  13. spring — the season
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. spell — letters
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. spring — of water
  20. spell — a short time
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. content — the amount
  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