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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. ground — crushed
  3. key — the most important part
  4. ground — the earth
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fall — the season
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. key — for a lock
  15. kid — to tease
  16. ground — a position
  17. ball — a dance
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. kid — child
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. cell — a phone
  22. key — in music
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. ball — a great time

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