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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. season — in sport
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bark — to shout
  13. deal — to handle
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. season — of the year
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rush — hurry
  20. kick — in football
  21. ground — crushed
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. deal — a big deal

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