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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ground — a position
  5. date — the fruit
  6. land — a country
  7. bulb — for light
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. land — ground
  10. march — music
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. march — the month
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. dip — to sink
  19. ground — the earth
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ground — crushed
  23. land — to come down
  24. deal — to handle

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