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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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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. ball — a dance
  4. chip — to eat
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. land — ground
  7. spring — a coil
  8. land — a country
  9. spring — of water
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. net — after costs
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. land — to come down
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ball — a great time
  16. rock — music
  17. spring — the season
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. rock — a stone

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