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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mine — for digging
  7. content — the amount
  8. stock — goods
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. content — happy
  11. bore — to tire
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. stock — shares
  23. roll — a list
  24. bore — to drill

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