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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: last · date · mine · kid · dip · cue · fan · track

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mine — for digging
  3. track — a song
  4. last — final
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. track — a path
  11. last — finally
  12. kid — to tease
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cue — for pool
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cue — a signal
  17. date — the fruit
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. track — to keep track
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cue — a hint
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. last — to go on

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