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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: deal · pit · date · mine · coach · rash · spring · kid

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — in a race
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. spring — a coil
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kid — to tease
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. spring — of water
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. date — the fruit
  18. spring — the season
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. deal — to handle
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mine — belonging to me

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