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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · ground · game · spring · mate · jam

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. game — a match
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. spring — a coil
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. date — the fruit
  15. ground — a position
  16. spring — of water
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mate — a friend

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