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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. game — a match
  3. row — a line
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. club — a group
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. club — for golf
  11. vault — a safe
  12. game — wild animals
  13. row — to paddle
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rash — a series
  17. club — for dancing
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bear — the animal
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rash — hasty
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. ground — a position

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