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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 · pass · cue · plane · roll · stick · date · cold

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cue — a signal
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. roll — a list
  8. content — the amount
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. content — happy
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cue — for pool
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pass — a permit
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. cold — not warm

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