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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. capital — a city
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rash — a series
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. capital — money
  14. scale — in music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rush — hurry
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bass — low music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bass — the fish

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