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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. field — farmland
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. content — the amount
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — to handle
  7. net — for catching
  8. field — for sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. spell — letters
  12. field — a subject
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. net — in sport
  15. bound — certain
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bound — tied together
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bound — obliged
  23. content — happy
  24. date — on the calendar

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