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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. spring — the season
  4. cue — for pool
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. last — finally
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rush — hurry
  10. last — final
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. deal — to handle
  18. spring — of water
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. last — to go on
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. deal — an agreement

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