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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. roll — a cake
  3. spell — magic
  4. march — the month
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. spell — letters
  10. deal — to handle
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. march — music
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. march — the month
  17. roll — a list
  18. spell — a short time

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