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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fine — high quality
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. hand — help
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. fine — all right
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. date — the fruit
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. root — the cause
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cue — for pool
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cue — a hint
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cue — a signal
  23. root — of a word
  24. pitcher — a jug

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