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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. deal — to handle
  3. date — the fruit
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. track — a song
  18. mine — for digging
  19. cell — a phone
  20. track — a path
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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