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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: content · last · season · object · mouse · date · pitcher · bay

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. object — an aim
  4. season — in sport
  5. content — happy
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. last — to go on
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. season — of the year
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. date — the fruit
  16. last — finally
  17. object — to protest
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. object — a thing
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. last — final
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. content — the amount

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