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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. date — the fruit
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. present — the time now
  7. spring — the season
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. present — there
  10. file — a line of people
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. present — a gift
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. spring — of water
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. pitch — completely

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