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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. date — the fruit
  5. firm — decided
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. game — wild animals
  9. net — for catching
  10. firm — steady
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. game — a match
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stem — to come from
  17. net — in sport
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. firm — a company
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. net — after costs
  24. lash — an eyelash

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