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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: rash · date · pop · pit · kid · capital · land · jam

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. date — the fruit
  4. land — to come down
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pit — in a race
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. land — a country
  13. capital — money
  14. pop — soda
  15. kid — child
  16. land — ground
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rash — a series
  20. pit — a hole
  21. capital — a city
  22. pop — music
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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