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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pop — music
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pop — soda
  6. key — for a lock
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. net — for catching
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. key — the most important part
  13. ground — the earth
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pop — to visit
  17. ground — a position
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. net — in sport
  20. snap — to click
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. key — in music
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. net — after costs

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