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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: bat · row · ground · date · rest · nail · game · jam

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. game — wild animals
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ground — a position
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rest — what's left
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rest — a break
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a line
  19. game — a match
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. ground — crushed
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. row — a quarrel

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