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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cue — a signal
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. race — humankind
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pop — music
  7. date — the fruit
  8. chest — a box
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mark — a grade
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cue — for pool
  19. race — a contest
  20. row — a line
  21. pop — soda
  22. mark — a trace
  23. race — the arms race
  24. chest — of your body

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