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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. date — the fruit
  11. toast — bread
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a skill
  14. ground — crushed
  15. tube — a container
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rule — a law
  18. spring — of water
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rule — government
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. tube — the underground
  24. craft — a handicraft

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