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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: staff · rock · ground · mug · march · date · mine · key

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. staff — employees
  6. rock — a stone
  7. staff — a stick
  8. march — music
  9. date — the fruit
  10. ground — a position
  11. mug — a cup
  12. staff — employees
  13. ground — the earth
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. march — the month
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mug — a face
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. march — the month

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