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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. date — the fruit
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. ground — a position
  8. cue — for pool
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. craft — boats
  11. march — the month
  12. cue — a signal
  13. march — music
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. march — the month
  17. ground — the earth
  18. fine — all right
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. wound — an injury
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bat — the animal
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wound — an injury

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