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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: bay · date · cabinet · content · fall · pitcher · bass · cold

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bass — low music
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. content — happy
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. cold — not warm
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. content — the amount
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pitcher — a jug

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