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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. drill — army training
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. drill — a practice
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. chip — for betting
  13. drill — the tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. date — the fruit
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rush — hurry
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mine — for digging

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