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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. sharp — clever
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. board — to get on
  11. mine — for digging
  12. squash — the sport
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. squash — to crush
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bore — to drill
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bore — to tire

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