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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: date · file · cue · bore · pitcher · nail · pass · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pass — a permit
  7. cue — for pool
  8. file — a tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bore — to drill
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bore — to tire
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cue — a hint
  19. date — the fruit
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. cue — a signal
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. date — on the calendar

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