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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mine — for digging
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fine — all right
  23. pass — a permit
  24. row — a line

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