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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bat · foot · date · prune · mine · stick · pop · jam

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bat — the animal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. date — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pop — to visit
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mine — for digging
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. jam — in traffic

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