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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: foot · game · spell · jam · date · march · mine · fork

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. foot — a measure
  3. fork — in a road
  4. spell — letters
  5. date — the fruit
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. march — music
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. march — the month
  12. spell — a short time
  13. march — the month
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. game — a match
  19. spell — magic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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