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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. ground — a position
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. clip — to cut
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. clip — a video
  8. band — a ring
  9. mug — a face
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mug — a cup
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. band — a music group
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mug — to rob
  19. ground — crushed
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. ground — the earth

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