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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 · mug · wind · ground · bore · ball · date · suit

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. date — the fruit
  3. mug — to rob
  4. last — finally
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bore — to drill
  8. last — final
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wind — moving air
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — a cup
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — clothes
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. last — to go on
  22. suit — in cards
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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