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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. scale — in music
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. kid — to tease
  9. race — a contest
  10. ground — a position
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pass — a permit
  19. race — humankind
  20. ground — the earth
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pitcher — a jug

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