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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: nail · bound · ball · date · pitcher · content · kick · pit

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bound — certain
  7. content — happy
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. kick — in football
  11. content — the amount
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pit — in a race
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ball — a dance
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pit — a hole

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