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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. drill — army training
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pop — soda
  7. mate — a partner
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fall — the season
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mate — to breed
  12. ground — a position
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bass — low music
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bass — the fish
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — all right

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