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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: cue · last · mine · firm · date · cap · pitcher · race

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. last — final
  6. firm — steady
  7. race — the arms race
  8. firm — decided
  9. date — the fruit
  10. last — to go on
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — a contest
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — for digging
  17. last — finally
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cap — a lid
  20. race — humankind
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — a signal
  24. date — on the calendar

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