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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: safe · game · pop · spell · date · ground · sharp · board

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spell — letters
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pop — music
  5. board — a committee
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. game — wild animals
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. ground — the earth
  12. board — to get on
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spell — a short time
  16. ground — crushed
  17. game — a match
  18. ground — a position
  19. sharp — clever
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. spell — magic
  22. pop — soda
  23. date — the fruit
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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