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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. date — the fruit
  4. net — for catching
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. ball — a dance
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. toast — bread
  10. pop — music
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. rock — music
  13. net — after costs
  14. pop — to visit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pop — soda
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. net — in sport
  20. ball — a great time
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mine — for digging
  23. deal — to handle
  24. ball — a round shape

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